“Embarrassed?” he said, returning to that scowl he always got when she offended him. “No, I just…” He smiled, a kind of dopey, easy smile she hadn’t seen him use before. “I don’t want to share you.”
Ok, that was a nice line and she flopped down onto her back as Paul began to hammer on the door. “We can’t leave him out there all night.”
“Why not?” he asked, sauntering back to the bed.
It was a real shame that Paul was out there having a fit. It wasn’t nice that the director had been ditched, and Kira was probably pissed off too. They’d waited well beyond what would be normal Trick lateness.
Trick dropped to his knees on the floor at the side of the bed. “For one thing,” Lyla said, rolling away, so she could grab the condom box to hand it over to him. “We only have two condoms left.”
“Hmm,” he said, frowning at the pack. “I see the dilemma.”
“So, the longest we can stay in here with him locked out there is two more nights.”
His avid attention rose from the condom box to her. “You think we’re going to have sex once a night?”
Oops, was that wrong? Lyla took a turn at frowning. “We’re not? Every other night? Once a week?”
“What kind of an idiot were you with?” he asked and laughed as he rose up over her and climbed back on top of her on the bed. “Gimme ten minutes and we’ll be going again.”
“Again?” she asked, her eyes bulging like they were on stalks. “You can’t really—”
“Oh, I can,” he said, nodding at her shock and brushing his nose on hers. “We’re gonna have a lot of fun, Mrs. Strickland… I’ve wanted you for a while, so I’ve got a lot of tension to work out.”
“And then we go to once a week?” she asked and he laughed again as he kissed her.
“Baby, we can have sex any time you want to have sex.”
“Any time? Like in the morning?”
“In the morning, the afternoon, inside, outside, in the shower, in the office—”
“In the office? You mean at Prem? We can have sex at Prem?” She gasped. “You have a dressing room, don’t you?”
Trick didn’t have an office, he had a whole living space in the Prem building. Lyla had never been in it, but because all his filming was done in the main studio building, he had a permanent dressing room. With a lock and everything she’d bet.
Her exuberance encouraged him and he seemed so enamored right now. “How have we been married three weeks and you’ve never seen my dressing room?”
“I’ve never seen you work,” she said and shrugged. “Well, I guess you could say I’ve seen you work.” Because whenever he adopted his character, even if it was just for fans, he was working. “But I’ve never been near you when you’ve been filming any show other than this one.”
“This isn’t a show,” he said, kissing her. “Not anymore. Not in here. This is just a husband and wife, enjoying each other.”
Paul began pounding on the door again. “I’ll have security up here in a minute! I’ll tell them you’re ODing in there.”
They couldn’t have that kind of scene or drama on the show. “Trick,” she said, squeezing his shoulders. “You have to talk to him.”
“What do you want me to tell him?” he asked, kissing her and then licking her lip.
“Nothing,” she said, curling her arms up under his to hook them around his shoulders from beneath. “I mean, you don’t have to admit that we… you know.”
“Had sex?” he said and grinned before kissing her again. “You don’t say any of the words.”
Scratching her fingernail on him, Lyla turned her head away from his next attempt at a kiss. “You knew what I meant.”
“You’ll get comfortable with this stuff, you’re just out of practice… it’ll take time. But you can push any boundary you like with me. You know when it comes to you I don’t really have any. So anything you want to do or try, I’m up for it. Just do what feels right for you… for us.”
“I…” She was nervous about what she wanted to say next because Lyla wasn’t quite sure where the emotional boundaries lay. He’d said he loved her, but that was before sex, maybe he’d changed his mind. “Trick, I…”
“What?” he asked, his tone laced with concern. “Is something wrong? If you think about dumping me now that—”
“No!” she said, wouldn’t it be funny if the rookie had used him for sex only to cast him aside after. “I’m not having second thoughts, I… I want to be with you. Now more than ever.”
He bobbed his head in cocky acceptance. “Yeah, I’m killer between the sheets.”
It was nice that she could laugh when he was being an idiot, but Lyla understood it was just his sense of humor. “You were incredible, baby.”
“Hmm,” he hummed. “I sense round two getting closer by the second.”
He tipped his head to kiss her, but before he touched his lips to hers, she blurted out. “I don’t want you to sleep with Kira.”
Lifting his head, Trick was frowning at her. “What?”
“I don’t know if it’s my place to say that to you or not, but… as soon as we open that door, Paul will want to drag you downstairs to do… well, what you were supposed to do and… it would make me really uncomfortable if—”
“God, you’re adorable,” he said and kissed her hard, letting his tongue slide deep against the roof of her mouth to taste as much of her as he could reach before withdrawing. “I love you. I’ll be faithful, a hundred percent. But you have to be as well.”
Laughing was an instinct, though it may not have been appropriate. “Trick, who am I going to sleep with?”
He wasn’t laughing, in fact he looked pissed. “I know plenty of guys who want to screw you,” he said. “But it’s not just about sex… I don’t want you sneaking into empty offices with Curtis and letting him touch your face. I don’t want you sitting at bars with random guys who proposition you… I don’t want you getting into cabs with lecherous assistant directors who think it’s ok to ask if they can film you getting undressed.”
He was so passionate about each point that she was left dumbstruck for a minute when he was done. “Ok, well… I guess that helps me figure out what the rules are between us.”
“The rules are we’re together,” he said. “Not for the show. Not for the studio. We’re together. For real.”
Outside the room, Paul was screaming at the crew who had to be out in the living room too. “What are we going to do about the show?” she asked.
“The world knows we’re married, and I’m proud of us. I’m proud of you. Don’t ever say I’d be embarrassed to be with you again, it hurts me.”
That was honest, clear, and shocking, but in a good way. “Ok, I’m sorry,” she said. “So, we don’t mind if they know we had sex?” she asked and he shook his head. “We’ll have to figure out how much we let them… see…”
“That’s completely down to you,” he said. “Just like before, ok?”
“You’ll still be hitting on me?”
His glee made her laugh. “Probably more.”
“But you won’t… you won’t say derogatory things about me when I’m not around, will you?”
“I wouldn’t say derogatory things when you were around either,” he said. “But you have to guide me on this. You know sometimes I’m a prick. I wouldn’t say anything mean, but… are there words you don’t want me to say or… what am I talking about? Let’s just tell them we’re out. Tell them we’re through with the show and you don’t ever have to worry about me being like that ever again.”
But she shook her head. “We made a commitment and just because we actually developed real feelings doesn’t mean we should back out of that. We’ll figure it out as we go. Just… I don’t mind you talking about us… sleeping together, just don’t… talk about doing me anywhere that’s not…”
“Up the ass,” he said. “Stuff like that.”
Her mouth fell open and she hissed, “Trick!”
> “I’ll be respectful, I promise, baby,” he said and kissed her before he jumped off the bed and swiped his jeans from the floor. “You stay in here, I’ll go talk to Paul and tell him it isn’t happening.”
Pulling up his jeans as he hopped toward the door, she sank back on the bed and exhaled when he turned and winked at her before going out and closing the door behind him.
SIXTEEN
“Ok, what seems to be the trouble?” Trick asked as he sauntered away from the closed bedroom door.
Man, this was going to be tough. How did he play this cool when really all he wanted to do was open his mouth and yell? On a scale of one to ten, one being utter humiliation and disaster, and ten being every guy’s ultimate fantasy, telling Lyla he loved her had come in at about a fifteen.
Sex.
They’d had sex!
Never in his wildest dreams would he have guessed that she’d trust him enough to let him take her like that. Now that she had, he wasn’t going to do anything to mess this up. No way. But that shouldn’t be hard. His dick wasn’t going to go sniffing anywhere else and they spent every minute they weren’t working together anyway.
No. He was going to be the perfect husband, when he wasn’t being… a prick.
Paul was pacing again and the camera guy was in the armchair at the head of the table with the sound guy on the couch behind Paul. So Trick rounded the couch opposite him and dropped himself down in the middle of it to stretch his arms along the back. He’d never felt so good. Never in his life had he felt this light and this… happy.
Paul gaped at him for the longest time, so he raised his brows in expectation. “You’re kidding, right?” Paul asked. “You prick, we were sitting down there waiting for you. Where the hell have you been?”
Turning his hands, Trick didn’t move his arms. “What?” he asked. “I’m where you left me. Exactly where you left me.” His balls were lighter and his heart stronger, but yeah, Trick was in exactly the same physical spot he’d been when Paul last saw him. Damn. It was amazing how quickly life could flip around.
“I’m gonna have to hold your hand and lead you everywhere,” Paul said, driving his fingers into his hair.
Glancing from one of his hands to the other, Trick smiled. “Don’t think you want to hold my hand right now.” But Paul didn’t seem to be listening, he’d gone back to his pacing. “Listen, man, chill, ok? Nobody died. If someone had a heart attack every time I didn’t show some place I’d been invited, there’d be a lot of dead people on my conscience.”
Paul stopped to glare. “You’re crazy! You weren’t invited someplace, this is your job! Get it together, we’re going downstairs. Now! Kira won’t wait all night, she’s spitting nails.”
Trick sniggered. “I’ll bet.”
“You think this is funny? She’s a difficult woman when she wants to be, beautiful, but damn difficult.”
Presenting a hand to the director, Trick smiled. “Hey, that’s it! You need to get yourself laid! You’ll chill if you get some pussy! Kira is single and I’ve got it on good authority she showed up here to be screwed.”
“By you! Get your ass downstairs and—”
Returning his hand to the back of the couch, Trick shook his head. “Not gonna happen, my friend. Sorry…” He laughed again. “That’s funny, I’m apologizing to you for refusing to screw my ex!” Trick sighed out what was left of his laugh. “Ah, that’s funny.”
“I’m glad someone’s laughing,” Paul said, his face getting redder. “You are gonna do this, you don’t have a choice!”
Trick wasn’t worried about Paul’s insistence, but his nonchalance only riled the director more. “I’m not sure what the rules are on rape via third party,” he said. “No means no, right? Even for guys. So, yeah, I’m saying no.”
“You can’t say no!”
Although he knew it would upset his director more, Trick had to smile. “What are you gonna do? Force my dick into Kira’s pussy? Yeah, that’s romantic and not great TV. That’s a lawsuit right there. You think you can trick me into it? Get me drunk enough that I don’t know what I’m screwing? Believe me, bud, I’ll know. And you try putting your hands on me, I’ll take you apart. Done deal, man… I won’t screw Kira. Won’t be happening.”
The bedroom door opened. Trick hadn’t expected Lyla to come out of the bedroom, but when he turned to look over the back of the couch and saw his rumple-haired, rosy-skinned beauty looking at him with those sultry eyes, he couldn’t say he was sorry to see her, and neither was his dick.
“Babe?”
“I don’t know if I want to eat or shower,” she said and yawned as she came toward the couch wrapped in a fluffy white hotel robe.
“I can offer a third option,” he said as she sank down onto the couch beside him.
He couldn’t share her. He couldn’t do it. Which meant he’d have to give up spending the night in her bed.
Damnit.
He’d been thinking of how he could have her stuff moved from the guest bedroom at the apartment into his bedroom while he was still here, so it was done by the time they got back. Now he was looking at her thinking how he didn’t want to give up any of their intimacies to the baying masses.
He’d have to piss her off, do something out of line to make her mad so she’d relegate him to the couch. If he didn’t, Paul would find a way to wheedle a camera in to the bedroom.
Even if they were just sleeping, it felt wrong to be watched. All he wanted to do was hold her. Falling asleep with her in his arms would be a Technicolor dream. But his selfish want would have to wait until he got used to sharing her… if he ever did.
But Trick was still going to move her into the master in their apartment.
If he got kicked out for being a dick, he’d sleep on the couch or he’d be the one in the guest room just as it worked in any real marriage.
He’d be a real husband to her; he’d make sure that single purpose drove him on every day.
Trick was looking at her funny. He was sort of doing the peering thing, but there was something knowing behind his eyes, something deeper.
Lyla smiled, hoping that interpreting his expression as a positive was right. “Are you ok, honey?” she asked and put a hand to his thigh to push nearer and touch her lips to the corner of his.
It was a short kiss, closed-mouth, but a kiss nonetheless and one that a wife would give to her husband. God, she hoped she was doing this right. She had so little relationship experience and here she was married to a man who could write “sexual aficionado” and “relationship master” as special skills on his resume. How the hell did that happen?
But when she drew back, he was smiling. Yes, good sign. Moving his arm from the back of the couch, Trick curled it around her and pulled her against his side, tucking her in close.
Curling her legs under her, Lyla relaxed into him as she folded her robe over her thighs. It was going to take some time to get used to Trick being affectionate. Rather, it would take time for her to get used to not spurring those advances.
While she’d gotten used to his over-the-top behavior being nothing more than a performance, she had adapted to her role of chastising him. It would be interesting to see how she’d react if he did anything overtly sexual when they were alone.
Usually when Trick tried to kiss her, they were in front of a camera and she knew how to respond to that. Now… now she’d be able to accept his kiss. Except he’d given her carte blanche to draw their boundaries and he’d accept her limit.
So, if she wanted to refuse his mouth or push him away, she still could, still would, because it was weird to think of them doing anything genuine, or intimate, in front of the lens.
Right now, Trick slouched lower and let his mouth disappear into her hair. “I love that smell,” he mumbled. “God, baby, I could bathe in your scent.”
Wow, she’d always thought when he used lines on her it was for show, but now she wondered… could he mean it? Sliding her hand deeper into the vee of his parted t
highs, Lyla wasn’t surprised when he lifted his hips a fraction, urging her hand closer to his groin.
That was the kind of thing over-the-top Trick would do, yet this move was much subtler than she was used to from him. Was it a genuine invitation or was he toning down the character now that they were… together?
Twisting to look up at him, Lyla didn’t expect his face to be so close to hers. But she couldn’t kiss him, because there were dormant cameras in the room, crew in the room, witnesses.
“Hold the phone,” Paul said and when she turned to look at him, she read a variety of emotions on his face, shock, confusion, disbelief. “What were you two doing in the bedroom? Alone… for more than an hour?”
“More than an hour?” Trick said and turned his face into her hair again. “See, baby, I told you I had stamina.”
Responding with a quiet laugh, Lyla dug her nails into his thigh and he squeezed her tighter. She had a feeling that a lot of their affection was going to be subtle like this, they didn’t make a big show of changing position or moving, just used their present connection to have an intimate conversation.
Paul’s hands went into the air. “You were screwing! You have sex for the first time and we weren’t even there!”
“Wasn’t really a group session,” Trick said. “We were confident enough to give it a go ourselves… Turns out, we did ok.”
That raised an interesting question. “Have you had group sex?” she asked, tipping her chin up.
“Yes,” he said. Geez, was there anything he hadn’t done or anything he wouldn’t admit to? “But it was years ago, baby. I swear I’ve been a good boy for a long time.”
Well he broke up with Kira months ago and she didn’t remember reading about him being with anyone else since then. That being said, he had been open to casual liaisons if their wedding night was any kind of indicator.
Paul snapped his fingers and she became aware of the camera crew mobilizing, they hadn’t been on film until now. It only took seconds for the camera guy to get the equipment onto his shoulder. He stayed seated on the couch opposite them, on the other side of the coffee table, with Paul just out of shot as his leg stayed to the side of the lens.
Getting Tricky Page 15