“Really?” I know it’s not much, but right now I can’t think of what else to say. “How can you pay any attention to her?” I try and stress the word her as much as I can.
Another shrug from Sophie.
“What if she has a point?” Now she’s gnawing on her bottom lip. “I mean, what if I really have chewed off more than I can chew, and what if I am no good at directing and acting in the movie at the same time?”
I’m sure my frown deepens.
“Sophie Palmer, earth to Sophie Palmer.” I gently shake her by the shoulders. “Are you listening to yourself?”
Sophie avoids my gaze. “Stop it,” she mumbles.
“Sophie, Sophie, Sophie,” I murmur into her hair. “I don’t know what to do. I should spank you.”
“Stop it.” Sophie’s face is stern. “I’m not joking, Todd. What if she’s right?”
“What if, what if? What if a meteorite plummets out of the sky and lands on our apartment? Or what if I get run over by a bus on my way to work tomorrow or, here is a novel thought, what if your movie cleans up at the Oscars?”
Sophie rolls her eyes, and I can’t help but take her into my arms and smother her in kisses.
I wish I could do more. But how do you tell someone they are brilliant? And why is it she’s more inclined to believe that Emma girl over me? Human nature, I suppose…we always latch onto negative comments and ignore positive ones.
Her hand reaches for her pendant. I smile.
“Come on, Sophie, you seriously can’t believe a word that comes out of that shallow bimbo?”
Before Sophie can reply, my own phone buzzes. I reach over her and pick it up. Jordan has sent a message. What does he want?
I open it and click on the “must read” link.
Sophie rolls onto her front and rests her head in her hands, elbows on the pillow.
I roll into the same position and put the phone down. As soon as I do, the swirling color wheel changes to an image of none other than Emma.
“I can’t believe I agreed to work on this second-rate film.” Her red lips tell the world as a reporter holds a microphone in front of her face.
I want to click out of the interview, but Sophie stops me.
“I knew it was an indie film,” Emma continues and stares into the camera with rather large eyes. “But we all know some of those can be really quite good. Not this one. It has Sophie Palmer direct and star the main role. I mean, how can you do both those things well? I mean really?”
Her eyes roll around her head and look as if they’re at risk of popping out. Has she smoked or taken something? To his credit, the reporter doesn’t say anything, and I wonder if his plan is to let Emma make a fool of herself without any help from anyone else.
“Everyone goes on and on about how she’s a Palmer,” Emma continues, “as if that means anything. I can assure you she’s no good at either of her jobs. If you ask me, she should be back at acting school.”
“Let’s turn it off,” I plead, knowing Sophie’s close to tears. Thankfully, before she can say anything else, it’s over.
I glare at my mobile as if it’s faulty. Why would the bitch do such a thing?
Deep within me, something stirs. I can’t quite put my finger on it. Why oh why?
And then it dawns on me. She’s paying Sophie back because I rejected her. Shit, is my ego so big I’m actually believing this? No, I’m sure I’m right.
I pull Sophie toward me and kiss her—slow, gentle, and with as much love as I can put into it.
“She’s wrong. Trust me. Actors should be professional, and even if she doesn’t like you, she should stay professional. You’d never badmouth her like that. I know.”
Her lips curl up ever so slightly.
This time I kiss the tip of her nose.
“Do you want to come to dinner at my parents’ house?”
The question blows me away. Sophie Palmer is inviting me, Todd Alexander, to have dinner with her…at her parents’ house? Her parents are both legends.
“If you don’t want to, I understand.”
“Are you kidding?” I hop out of bed and grab some clothes. “What are we waiting for? Let’s go.”
She laughs, and a little of her spark returns.
“I better have a shower first and find some clothes.” She skips past me, and I grab her.
“I don’t know,” I tease her. “You look just fine to me.”
She pulls back and pouts.
“Only fine?”
I slap her on the ass and grin. “You know I worship the ground you walk on, Ms. Palmer.”
Sophie
My right hand flips down the visor in the car, and I examine myself critically in the little mirror.
“You look fine, babe.” Todd’s hand rests on my thigh, his fingers caressing my naked flesh.
I push desire aside and roll my eyes.
“Fine?” I pout.
He leans over and plants a kiss on my cheek.
“Beautiful, angelic, gorgeous.” His lips caress my face.
“Stop it,” I giggle and quickly get out of the car. My parents are sticklers for punctuality.
The door opens as my feet scrunch on the fine pebble garden path leading to the front of the house. I stop to smell one of the roses. Its scent is intoxicating.
“Hello, love.” Mum comes out to greet me. We hug. I relish the cuddle before I pull away to introduce Todd.
“Mum, meet Todd.” I step aside so Mum can see him. “Todd, this is my mother, Olivia.”
“It’s an absolute pleasure and privilege to meet you, Mrs. Palmer, a woman of such beauty, elegance, and talent.” Todd bows and kisses the back of my mother’s hand.
She giggles like a little schoolgirl and winks in my direction.
“My, my, Sophie.” She links arms with me and motions Todd to follow. “You’ve caught a real charmer here, haven’t you?”
Once we are inside, Mum lets go of my arm.
“Come into the dining room. I’ll just walk ahead to let your father know you two have arrived.”
Todd stops next to me.
“Your mother is something else,” he whispers in my ear. “I feel like one of those teenagers meeting their idol for their first time.”
I chuckle.
“My mother has that impression on most people.” I take his hand. “I hope you didn’t pee yourself with excitement.
“Well…” Todd doesn’t finish the sentence.
We laugh.
“I can see how you would feel pressure living up to expectations,” Todd speaks quietly.
“Wait till you meet my father, and you’ll really understand where I’m coming from.”
Todd pulls out my chair, and I sit down.
“Such good manners are rare these days,” observes Mum who has come back into the room.
“Sophie, what a delight to find you here today.”
I push my chair back and run to greet Dad. His arms wrap around me. I must make sure to visit more often.
“Hi, Dad,” I say and kiss his cheek.
Dad shakes Todd’s hand, and they exchange the usual pleasantries, all while M
um busies herself with serving our lunch.
“So my gorgeous favorite daughter, how’s the big film coming along?”
“I’m your only daughter,” I tease Dad and take a mouthful of food.
“No need to become a pedant,” retorts Dad and pours Todd some wine.
“What’s the answer to how is the film coming along?”
“Fine.” I’m reminded of Emma’s comments.
“I must say, Soph…I’m really impressed. You have taken on such a huge amount of responsibility. It takes guts, real guts to agree to direct a film and be one of the main stars in it.”
A lump forms at the back of my throat. Is there something wrong with Dad? He rarely pays me compliments of this magnitude.
“Can I say, Mr. Palmer,” Todd chimes in, “your daughter, Sophie, is amazing. She has so much talent
.”
My dad winks at me and picks up his glass.
“A toast to our Sophie. May her film be a huge success and an Oscar contender.”
“Hear, hear,” echoes Mum and Todd.
Mechanically I sip from my drink. Those negative, bitchy comments from Emma just won’t leave me alone.
“You know,” Dad lowers his voice conspiratorially. “I have it on good authority your film is being watched closely by member of the Oscar panel.”
“Dad.” I wag my finger in his direction. “Is this one of your stories?”
He shakes his head.
“No, I’m serious. A very close friend of mine is on the panel and told me the other day there were high hopes for your film. And not just for one Oscar, no…for several.”
Todd hangs on every word of my Dad’s and nods.
“Wait till you see the finished product, Mr. Palmer.”
“Hugo. Please call me Hugo, young man.”
“Sophie’s a fantastic director. She’s able to see things others don’t. I have a lot of respect for her, and she really brings out the best in all of us.”
My mother nods.
“Yes, Sophie’s very good. Once she sees for herself how good she is, she’ll be unstoppable.”
All this praise makes me feel uncomfortable.
Todd rests his hand on my back. He smiles at me.
“I think Todd’s exaggerating just a little,” I finally chime in. “Filming is going fine. You know what filming is like.” I turn to Dad. He nods and smiles.
“Not every day is going to be a perfect day, sweetheart,” he says, and I wonder if he senses my inner turmoil.
Dad can read me like an open book. I find it difficult to hide things from him.
By the time we get to dessert, we have solved some of the major problems in the world. We may not have solved world peace, but we’ve come a long way toward working out what is needed to feed the poor and make sure people get on better with each other.
“Let’s have coffee on the veranda,” suggests my mum, and we follow her.
On the way, Todd stops to admire some family photos, the kind every family has on display. Some of them are of me.
“This is my favorite,” Dad points to a photo where a little girl sits in the director’s chair with a megaphone in her hand.
“A born director.” Dad’s voice is filled with pride.
“And stunning to look at as well,” adds Todd.
By the time we say our farewells, it is near dark, and Todd waits in the car for me.
Mum holds me by the arm and looks me in the eyes.
“Be careful, dear.” Her voice is serious, as is her expression. “I know he’s a looker and on the surface seems like the real deal…but be careful. We have all seen what he can be like in the media.”
I kiss Mum and promise I will be careful.
Now isn’t the time to tell her that there is another side to Todd, a side I’m getting to know and like.
Sophie
Stop thinking about it, I tell myself, trying push my Mum’s words to a deep corner of my mind. Easier said than done, of course.
Truth be told, I’m falling for Todd—and I’m falling fast and hard. My heart jumps inside my chest each and every time I see him, and my whole body seems to be aching for his 24/7. For God’s sake, I even took him to my parent’s house for dinner. I never did that, not even in what I thought to be my serious relationships.
“You alright?” He asks me as we drive back to the city, his Porsche’s engine roaring as we make our way through the freeway.
“I am,” I nod, looking at him and sucking in a deep breath.
I let my gaze linger on him, taking in every single line on his face, and I feel every inkling of doubt and fear I have, simply fading away.
If I’m falling for him, so be it.
“Want me to take you home?” He asks me again, throwing me a carefree smile.
“No,” I reply, laying my hand on top of his knee. “I want to go back to your place.”
“That’s exactly what I wanted to hear,” he grins, and I bet he’d floor the accelerator if it weren’t for the fact I’m inside the car with him.
He might try to act and look like a bad boy, but deep down, Todd cares about everyone around him. God, I can’t believe I’m saying this about him…just a few days ago I thought he was an intolerable asshole, and now here I am.
When we finally park on the underground garage, Todd jumps out from his seat and makes his way around the car. He opens the door for me—just like a true gentleman—and offers me his hand. I take it, and allow him to lead me to the elevator.
With each step I take, my heart seems to drum faster and faster.
Inside the elevator, I press my back against the wall, and simply stare into his eyes. He does the same, allowing that sweet electricity to crackle in the distance between our bodies. We remain like that during the climb up, the tension between us growing so fast, it’s almost surprising I haven’t jumped on him yet.
“I got something for you,” he tells me as we step inside his apartment. He makes his way toward the bedroom, and then he heads out a few seconds later, holding a silk nightgown on his hands.
“Don’t tell me you keep women’s clothes around just in case,” I tell him, arching my eyebrows and placing both hands on my hips.
“No,” he laughs as I take the nightgown from his hands, “I got this just for you. You know, just in case you wanted to sleep over,” he adds, and I can’t help but notice he’s slightly embarrassed. Even though Todd seems to have a reputation with the opposite sex, he doesn’t seem too comfortable with this kind of intimacy.
Smiling at him, I take the nightgown off his hands and start undressing right in front of him, fully knowing that his eyes are devouring each and every inch of my naked skin. Slipping inside the nightie, I do a full turn in front of him and then stop, looking into his eyes as my heart kicks hard against my chest.
Before I know it, he’s on me.
He leans in, parting his lips. Slowly, he brushes his lips against mine, and then we succumb to a kiss, one full of desire, our tongues aching for each other.
He grabs me by the hair, forcing me to throw my head back as his lips reach for my neck, and I can feel my pussy growing wet with anticipation.
Finally letting go of my hair, he allows his hands down the side of my body, taking them to the nightgown, and pulling it by the lace in the front, his fingers brushing over my breasts.
After giving my breasts a squeeze over the fabric, he continues sliding his hands down my body and lowers himself, his fingers going for the hemline of my nightgown.
He hooks his fingers on it and pushes it all up, revealing my naked breasts as I lift my arms, allowing him to undress me.
After glancing at my naked breasts, a hunger dancing on his eyes, he lowers himself again. He pushes my thong to the side, his fingers reaching my clit and rubbing around it in circles. Then, he grabs the elastic band on my thong and pushes it down my legs with a single movement, exposing my soaking wet pussy.
Each second we’re not touching is a complete waste of our precious time, so, I reach for his shirt quickly, unbuttoning it all and taking it off him as fast as I can. My lips reach for his again, as my hands start sliding down his chest, draw a path until they reach his belt.
Still kissing him fiercely—and without seeing what the hell I’m doing—I allow instinct to guide me and start to unbuckle his belt. Then I press my hand on his crotch; his cock is already pulsing inside his pants, aching for my touch.
I pull his belt out and then pull the zipper down. Pulling out from our kiss, I grab his pants with both hands and push them down as hard as I can.
Then I press my hand again on him, feeling the bulging shape underneath his boxer briefs.
I go down on my knees and lean in, taking my mouth toward his thighs. I lick the fabric of his boxer briefs, making him go crazy. He reacts by moving his hips closer to me, giving me no choi
ce but to grab his boxers and yank them down his legs.
His huge cock springs free in a fraction of a second, almost hitting me in the face. Oh God, I want it in my mouth, and I want it right now.
Stepping out of his clothes, he kicks them to the side and then offers me a wicked grin.
“Is this what you want?” He teases me, wrapping his fingers around the base of his shaft.
He holds his cock up and away from my mouth. Smiling, I push my tongue out from between my lips; instead of his cock, though, he places his balls on my tongue. I can tell they’re full and more than ready for my lips.
After sucking on both of them, I roll my tongue back and forth over the tip of his cock. I wrap my lips around the head, taking only the tip inside of my mouth.
With my eyes closed, I lick his tip softly, tasting the little drops of pre-cum on my tongue, and savoring its saltiness. Then, I start kissing his shaft before taking it all in my mouth.
I start slowly, and as he moves his thighs towards me, I begin to go faster.
I move my mouth down to allow his cock to slide in deeper. Once it hits the back of my throat, I can’t help but be surprised at myself for taking such a huge cock all the way inside me. But I can do better.
Grabbing the back of my head, he pushes in even deeper. His cock is slipping in deeper, his balls resting on my chin. His hand is gripping my hair tightly, forcing me to take that massive shaft even deeper into my throat. He isn´t being gentle now but, God, I love it when he’s being rough.
Placing a hand on either side of my head, Todd pushes his cock harder into my mouth.
I stretch my lower jaw open, my lips stretching to take his length all the way to base of his cock.
I bob my head faster, keeping my hand wrapped around his shaft at the same time as he grabs me by the hair. With my other hand, I reach for my breasts, giving them a hard squeeze.
Then I slide my hand down to my pussy, massaging its outer and inner lips. With my heart tightening up inside my chest, I place my middle finger over my clit and start rubbing it while I spread my legs just a little.
Todd is looking down at me, his eyes burning on mine, and I can feel his cock pulsing inside my mouth. I try to pull back, but he simply continues, his hands holding my hair tight.
A Daddy for Mother's Day_A Secret Baby Romance Page 59