by Ceri Bladen
Ella turned to hide her blush, yes, she knew exactly what she meant! Goodness, did the man go anywhere without having a conquest? Ella wasn’t too keen at the sick feeling at the bottom of her stomach. She watched as Scarlett’s violet eyes flicked towards Daniel, indicating that he had finished the audition.
Daniel was pleased, that had gone well. He searched the shadows for Ella, he had felt her watching him. He was surprised that it didn’t bothered him, he had actually liked that she might think that he did his job well. He spotted someone talking to Ella, it was Scarlett. He hadn’t seen her in a couple of years. Christ, he had had some good times with her. Suddenly, he felt uncomfortable, she might be sharing those good times with Ella, so he quickened his steps.
“Why, Scarlett! Looking as beautiful as ever.” He gave her a killer smile before he kissed both her cheeks. “What on earth are you up to these days?”
“Why, the same as you darling! I might even be your leading lady, if I get the part. I am sure you remember how amazing it was last time we were in a film together? The chemistry on and off the screen. Oh là là!” She placed her hand on his face and gently kissed his lips.
Daniel felt awkward with Ella standing there. She must have too, as he noticed her retreat slightly.
Ella took a quiet step back and looked away, hoping not to be noticed. It was at times like this she was glad that she was only small in height, she could be easily missed. It felt like her stomach had dropped to the ends of her heeled boots. She could not bear to watch Scarlett kissing Daniel, so she averted her eyes. It wasn’t fair, they were both so stunning they looked as though they belonged together. She could just imagine their stunning children!
“Let’s hope we both get the parts then.” Scarlett purred at him. “For old time’s sake.” She winked knowingly at Daniel as she left for her reading.
Ella arched her eyebrows at Daniel, she had to do something to make him think she was unaffected. A small smile played on her lips. “Old time’s sake?’
“Yes, well.” Daniel swallowed.
Ella was glad to note, that he did look a little uncomfortable.
Chapter 12
“Hey, Daniel. Are you awake?” Eric shouted through the bedroom door.
“Well I am now!” replied Daniel grumpily. He had had another night of little sleep, his thoughts about Ella making him toss and turn for hours.
“You better get up. You have a plane to catch in a couple of hours. They want you to fly for another audition. In the studio they are going to be using. The tickets are waiting for you at the airport. I’ll put the coffee on.”
Daniel dragged his fingers though his rumbled hair, still half asleep, he made his way to the kitchen.
Half way across the lounge he heard Ella’s bedroom door open. He turned around to catch the little cute o she made with her mouth, whenever she was surprised or embarrassed. Why would she be surprised or embarrassed? He looked down at his naked torso and striped pyjamas hanging low on his waist. He quickly looked back at her. So she was checking him out and got caught, how interesting. He did have some effect on her.
“Eric’s got the coffee on. Come on, you have got some packing to do.”
Relief poured through her, she had listened to the conversation between Eric and Daniel from her bed. She had wondered whether Daniel would allow her to go with him.
He had been acting a bit strange since his first audition. Perhaps, as her Editor had warned her, he might need some space for a while, so she was relived to be invited to go with him and Eric. Ella walked on in the tail end of the conversation between the friends.
“…, that’s okay with you, isn’t it? You have got Ella to hold your hand.” Eric laughed and nodded towards Ella entering, as he looked at Daniel.
She looked towards Daniel who looked thoughtful. “Because the trip is short notice, Eric wouldn’t be coming with us. He has a book deadline to honour. That’s not a problem with you is it?” Daniel was secretly hoping it would be. He was finding it hard enough being around her with Eric acting like a chaperone. How was he going to manage in a hotel? He would have to just keep reminding himself of Jeff.
Ella swallowed. No Eric for company. Only Daniel? Her dreams about him had started becoming more vivid over the last couple of weeks. Perhaps she needed time to put things in perspective and visit Jeff. But she did not have time. This was an assignment, not personal. “No, no problem at all,” she smiled at them both.
~~~~
The plane journey was wonderful, first class, not the ‘cattle class’ that she usually flew with. She actually felt tipsy and giggly by the time they left the plane, all those complimentary drinks. She normally didn’t drink a lot, an odd glass of wine or nightcap was about her limit. She had failed to see Daniel topping up her glass on the journey.
Daniel was enjoying himself. He was thrilled to see Ella relax on the plane. He even found her being tipsy and giggling very endearing, she became flirty too in drink, which was a bonus. A slight trip when she started leaving the plane, gave him a valid excuse to hold onto her arm, escorting her off the plane and into a taxi. It was the first time he had touched her since their subway journey.
“Here is your key card, Mr Spittle. The concierge will show you the way and your bags will be up in a few minutes. Enjoy your stay with us.” The receptionist, knowing Daniel to be a star, gave him her best service with a smile.
Ella, clutching her handbag closely to her chest, whispered, “Did she say key card, not key cards?”
Daniel clenched his jaw tight. Eric always came with him on assignments, so one room was always booked for the two of them to share. Normally, he would bless his lucky stars that he was forced to share one room with a beautiful woman. But this was Ella, he needed help to stay away from her, not be thrown together.
“Yes, Eric and I usually share. I have asked, but there isn’t any spare rooms. There is a conference taking place here. Don’t worry your honour will stay intact.”
Ella looked at Daniel, she expected the last statement to be said as a joke, but he looked glum. Strange, perhaps the journey had made him grumpy? She giggled, the alcohol making her hiccup.
When they reached the room, Ella looked around in awe at the hotel room. It was so luxurious. Luckily, she spotted two large beds. No one sleeping on the couch then, that was good. She could feel the tension coming off Daniel in waves and she was unsure why. They had a good time on the plane hadn’t they? Perhaps he was worried about the audition tomorrow? She made small talk to lighten the mood.
Daniel generously tipped the porter and made his way to the minibar. He wanted to ignore her, he was trying to forget he was alone with her in a hotel suite. Manners got the best of him. “Would you something to drink?”
She turned around from studying the view, and wobbled a little. “Oh no thanks, I think I have had enough. Everything is a bit woozy.” She smiled at him, her dimple deepening on her cheek.
Christ, she was beautiful, those dimples were doing things to him. Even her curves were doing crazy things to his body, she was turning him into a mess. He gripped the glass tighter. Perhaps he should get her drunker and then he could get her into one of those large beds that seemed to be taunting him. No, he couldn’t treat her like that. He took a mouth full of the whiskey, liking the burn it was giving him. It suited his mood.
“You should order room service and go to bed early to sleep the alcohol off.” He watched her face drop. He needed to do the right thing. “I’ll go out and leave you relax.” He placed the glass on the table and walked to the door without looking at her. “Goodnight, see you in the morning.”
Ella watched him close the door. What was wrong with him? He was being so moody. Perhaps he had grown tired of having a journalist follow him all the time? It must be a bit of a strain having your life analysed.
She held onto the side table, her head spinning slightly. Well, he could just go off in a huff if he wanted. She was just here to do her job. She lay down on the bed, tiredn
ess and alcohol working their magic on her. She closed her eyes to stop the spins and was out cold in no time at all.
~~~~
The hotel bar had lost its appeal. Daniel was fed up watching either couples having intimate dinners together, or the lonely people sitting at the bar, which was where he was. He raked his hands over his face. Oh well, he couldn’t stay any longer. He would have to get back to the hotel suite. He looked at the clock on the wall of the bar, it was after midnight. Hopefully, Ella would be sleeping by now. He did need to catch a little sleep before his audition tomorrow.
He pushed his stool away and heard a ruffle of noise from the doorway. Scarlett stood there looking around the room, she caught his eye. She smiled and started towards him. Daniel had to smile to himself when he noticed all the male eyes, following her every move towards him. A typical reaction, she was flawlessly beautiful. A slightly uneasy feeling moved through Daniel when he realised that he didn’t want to spend time with Scarlett, he wanted to go back to the suite to Ella.
“Well, hello Darling,” she purred into his ear as she kissed his cheek. “Ready for our scene tomorrow?” She ran her hands over his chest suggestively. “Fancy coming to my suite for some practise?” She ran her tongue over her bottom lip.
Christ, she was pulling out all the stops thought Daniel. He sighed, normally he wouldn’t think twice about the offer. Hell, he would normally be jumping at the chance, she was so hot. When they worked together in the past, they normally would spend the time in front of the camera, pretending to be involved in a love scene, and the time off camera, doing it for real. Tonight, the idea didn’t appeal to him.
He gave her a brief kiss on her red lips and took a step away while holding her shoulders. “Sorry babes. We will have to have a rain check on that.” He frantically thought of an excuse. Saying he was tired or that he didn’t want to, would not cut it. “I didn’t have time to read through my lines. I need to go through them. I want to get the part with you as my leading lady, don’t I?”
He felt her fluid body stiffen slightly, but being a great actress, she smiled sweetly to hide her disappointment. “Never mind. We have months to rekindle our former passions. Don’t we Sweetie?”
He nodded politely at her, and her growing entourage, then left the bar. As he crossed the lobby, he noticed that his heart was beating faster and he had a clenching in his stomach. He was actually excited to be going back to the room, back to Ella. He was hoping that his excitement wasn’t too obvious.
He slipped the card in the lock and waited for the green light. He took a breath and entered. The only light on in the room was from the bathroom, which illuminated the two beds. Daniel noticed Ella on top of the far one immediately. She was breathing deeply, obviously asleep. Daniel furrowed his forehead. Was she on top of the bed? He walked over to her, glad the carpet muffled his approach, not to wake her.
Damn, she was fully clothed on top of the bed, even her shoes were on. She did have too much alcohol then. Now what should he do? He could leave her, but she would have an uncomfortable night. He could get her ready for bed, but then he might have an uncomfortable night!
He pushed his hand through his hair while looking down on her, trying to make up his mind what to do. He made the decision. He would get her undressed. He had seen plenty of women undressed, he had undressed most of them himself. This wouldn’t be too difficult. He blew on his hands to warm them up and silently laughed at himself. He was acting like a frightened teenager again! What was it about Ella that made him think like this?
He would start on the easiest. He carefully grabbed her feet, one at a time, and slipped off her shoes. She didn’t even stir. Now did he take off her blouse or skirt first? He rubbed his chin in consideration… blouse.
He sat on the bed next to her and reached over to start undoing her buttons. He noticed his hands shaking slightly. He pushed the delicate buttons through the holes starting at the top. His blood started pumping hotly when he noticed that she was wearing a red lacy bra, the same colour as her blouse. He pushed the sides of her blouse apart ready to remove it. Daniel groaned. Her creamy skinned breasts, encased in her sexy red bra, stared back at him. It took all his strength not to bend down and start kissing the exposed skin. He could imagine delicately pushing his tongue under the lacy bra, her begging him to take it off.
He turned around to face the bathroom and took some steadying breaths. It was bad enough seeing her body lying on the bed, he didn’t need his fantasies to complicate things even further. Right, he tried to clear his brain. How would a Doctor cope? They must see many bodies and just think of them of objects or something that was not attractive. He would just have to do the same.
He turned back around, making himself just look at her face. He carefully pulled her shoulders up towards him and leaned her against his chest. Christ, she was small. He gently started to pull on the sleeves. The movements disturbed Ella out of her deep sleep and she wrapped both her arms around his neck and started to gently nibble his ear. He had to keep still. Just a minute, just a minute. She fell back into slumber. He took in a new breath, not realising he had been holding his. His blood was roaring in his ears. He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt this aroused, but he could do nothing about it. He smiled wryly to himself. He removed the rest of the blouse and carefully lay her back down. The bra would have to stay on, for his own sanity!
Daniel stood up and looked back down on her, trying to get some distance. She was still in a deep slumber. She was going to have some mighty hangover tomorrow. Headache tables and water, that is what she would need. Perhaps cold water would be good for him too. He walked over to the bathroom, with a glass to fill up with water to place next to her bed. He dug out some headache tablets from the open toiletry bag too.
He bent down towards the sink, filling his hands with the cold water and splashing his face with the icy water. He grabbed the edge of the sink and looked at himself in the mirror, his vivid blue eyes stared back at him. He noticed the slight purple under his eyes, lack of sleep. What was going on? Why did it seem as though Ella had turned his life upside down in such a short time? Why did he want her so badly? Was it because she was unavailable? Did that make her more appealing? Most of the women he had slept with recently had been more than willing to jump straight into bed with him. Hell, most of them had thrown themselves at him. Perhaps Ella was just stirring up feelings that he hadn’t felt in a long time. The chase - something which he used to enjoy. It would explain why he sometimes felt like an awkward teenager around her. He looked at himself again. He made up his mind. He would keep his distance for the next month. Then apart from the article, he would not have to deal with Ella Hender anymore.
More determined and settled, he turned back into the bedroom. He placed the water and tablets on her side table, ready for when she needed them. He sat back on the bed. He wondered where the zipper was to remove her skirt. He was hoping it wasn’t underneath her, a side zipper would be preferable. He ran his hand across her stomach to get to the right side, where he thankfully, found the zip. He noticed the slight protrusion of her hipbones encased in the black skirt, not the razor sharp hipbones of Cassandra. He suddenly remembered how soft women’s bodies could actually be. It suddenly felt too long.
The sensation of someone touching her, disturbed Ella again. She made a soft sighing noise and ran her hands slowly up from his stilled hand, up her torso, over her breasts and they finally stopped when they were stretched above her. She stretched, curving up her spine which pushed her breasts against her bra. A small smile on her face.
Not again! He was outwardly as still as a statue. Just inner torment churned through his system. His blood had managed to work south once again. He needed to get out of here as fast as he could!
After he had calmed slightly, he leaned across to undo her button and pull down the zipper. He stood up and went to the end of the bed. He grabbed both sides of the skirt by the bottom hem seams and gently started to pull it off.
He turned and folded the skirt over the back of the chair. He took in a last deep breath before his final assault. He did feel as though he was going into battle! He gingerly walked back to the bed. He sat and carefully placed one of her legs across his lap. As gently as he could, he really did not want her to wake up now, he started rolling her stocking down her leg towards her toes. He made an oath quietly to himself. He would love to be following its journey with kisses. He tried to blank his mind and quickly completed the second leg. He stood up, a little shaky.
He looked back down on her, from a small distance. Never had mismatched underwear been so appealing to him. He knew he couldn’t pick her up to put her into bed. If he had her in his arms, he knew he wouldn’t be able to stop himself. Instead, he grabbed the bedspread off his bed. He wouldn’t need it tonight, he was already too hot. He tucked it around her. She gave a sleepy smile in her sleep.
Daniel grabbed the key card and made his way to the door. He wasn’t going to be able to sleep near her at this moment. He thought he might as well go back out. He switched off the bathroom light and plunged the room into darkness.
Chapter 13
Ella woke with a pounding head. Where was she? It was dark and her spinning, throbbing head was making her disorientated.
It came to her in a flash. She looked quickly towards the other bed. Good, no one was there. She grabbed the bedspread tighter and realised with a gulp that she only had her underwear on. How embarrassing, she could not remember anything that had happened since the flight.