Playboy

by Logan Chance

  “No, I remember once seeing a notebook of hers lying around with ‘Mrs. Jonah Marshall’ scrawled all over it.”

  “Funny, now she is Mrs. Marshall. God, can you believe we’re married? Well, not for much longer.”

  “What do you mean?” He takes a seat in the chair across from my desk.

  “I filed the annulment papers today. Playboy is no longer married.” That depresses me.

  “Ah, damn.” He leans back. “You want to be married?”

  I meet his stare. “Fuck,” he says under his breath. “I had no idea you were this serious.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m an asshole. Doesn’t matter.”

  He studies me. “You know what?”

  “No, what?”

  “You’ve always been a good guy.” He smiles. “Sure, you have that playboy nickname, but you’re no playboy.”

  “Of course I am,” I cut in with a sly smile.

  He shakes his head. “No, you’ve always been a bit of a romantic. That quote thing you do.”

  I run a hand along the back of my neck. “Yeah, maybe. Still doesn’t help my current situation.”

  He stands. “She loves you. And believe me, you’re the only man I’d ever trust with her.”

  I stare him in the eyes. “Thanks, man.”

  “Now, go win your girl back.”

  What have I got to lose? I’d rather try everyday to get her back than be without her. I smile, clicking off my computer. “Ok.”

  He turns to leave. “Oh, and, Jonah,” he calls over his shoulder, “you should think about taking some of those job offers.”

  “Yeah, maybe I will.”

  And all of a sudden a sense of freedom washes over me. No longer do I feel the need to tie myself down to the endless stress of Bunny Hunnies taking the pictures I don’t really care to take.

  I want more. I want to capture real life on camera. The life the everyday person normally overlooks.

  The details that aren’t noticed until someone snaps a picture and shows you…look this is special. This is love. These are the important things.

  Not the paycheck handed out on Friday, or the nine am phone calls, or the meetings of the rat race we all deal with day in and day out.

  No, I want to remind people what it is we’re living for.

  The overlooked pleasures.

  The simplicity of it all.

  Glenda smiles as she passes my office door. I don’t have the heart to tell her I’m quitting. I’ll save that for another day.

  But, my mind’s made up.

  Chelsea, Declan, Booker….they’re all right.

  All in different ways, making me into the man I am today.

  Booker telling me I can do anything I want to do. So many times, he’s reminded me that life isn’t planned out, not everyone has to follow the corporate path.

  Declan reminded me I can be my own man, and that I am a good guy.

  Chelsea well, she opened my heart. She wasn’t afraid to throw her trust in me. I shouldn’t have been afraid. I should have been able to take her love and hold it close, telling her everything about Vegas.

  On my way out the door of the Falcon building after work, I run into Randall. His blond hair catches the light of the fading sun, and he smiles. “You look like a man on a mission,” he says.

  “Yeah, I need to talk to Chelsea.”

  His smile gets bigger. “I always thought you two made the perfect couple,” he calls out. I keep moving to win back my girl.

  The sun has long set, and there’s a faint smell of rain off in the distance. I don’t let it deter me though.

  I’ve seen enough movies over the years to know how this needs to play out, how I need to tell her I love her. She’ll fling her arms around me, and we’ll live happily ever after. Right? It all sounds so easy.

  But, this isn’t a movie.

  I can’t yell cut if she’s not saying the right things back to me. I can’t redo the take if the outcome isn’t to my liking.

  Hell, I can’t even send in the script for rewrites if she doesn’t say she loves me back.

  It’s that fear of not knowing. The fear of knowing anything could happen. And it may not be in my favor.

  Hell, this could be the one who gets away.

  And then I’ll lead a lonely miserable life down by the sea, yelling at teenagers and smoking too many cigarettes.

  No, she loves me. I know she does.

  I see it in the way she smiles at me, her blue eyes twinkling just for me. Without a shadow of a doubt, this girl is crazy about me.

  I just need to remind her of that.

  I need to show her that what we have is bigger than any movie. Bigger than one drunken night in Vegas.

  It’s bigger than the sun and stars. It’s a love that has built. She thinks she can’t trust me. But, she’s wrong.

  Finally, a bundle of nerves, I drive to Declan’s, with a hopeful heart.

  Streetlamps cast a serene glow over the asphalt when I pull down the street. It reminds me of my favorite movie.

  When I hop out of my Jeep, I slow my steps.

  Two lights are on in Declan’s house. But, I don’t knock on the door.

  No, instead, at the top of my lungs I scream, “Chellllllseaaaa.”

  I keep screaming, and I feel like a massive idiot. But, I don’t stop. Isn’t love worth a grand gesture?

  The blinds move, and Chelsea peeks her head through. “Chellllllseaaa.”

  Finally, she comes out the front door wearing yoga pants and a baggy ‘Drama Llama’ t-shirt.

  She gazes at me with those baby blues that melt my heart. “What are you doing?”

  I slide my hands in my jeans pockets. “I was an idiot.”

  “Jonah, you really hurt me,” she says in a soft voice.

  I step closer. “I know. I should have told you. I was afraid.”

  “Afraid of what? Of me?” She points a finger at herself.

  “Of everything.” Frustrated, I look up at the sky and back down. I need her to understand. “I was Blanche, Chelsea.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Blanche Dubois. A Streetcar Named Desire.” She tilts her head at me, confused. “I liked the fantasy of my life. I kept it from you because I enjoyed being married to you. The reality of not being married to you was something I didn’t want to face.”

  “But why didn’t you tell me?” She closes her eyes for a moment. “And oh my God, that picture. My parents have read that article.”

  I step closer. “Chelsea, I’m so sorry about the movie deal, about the pictures, well, all of it.”

  “It isn’t about losing the movie deal.” The hurt in her eyes is killing me. “Well, I mean, that sucks. But, that’s not why I’m mad.”

  “Well, why are you?” I ask, hoping I can convince her that she’s the only one who means anything to me.

  “I’m upset because you didn’t trust me enough to tell me.”

  I blow out a breath and step closer. “I’m so sorry. I failed you. You trusted me, and I failed you,” I say, quoting Batman.

  She throws a movie quote back at me, “I can’t stop thinking about you and I don’t know what to do.” Tears well in her eyes.

  And then we keep going…

  “What do you want, Chelsea? You want the moon? Just say the word and I’ll throw a lasso around it and pull it down.”

  “I feel like an idiot right now for trusting you,” she says.

  “You make me want to be a better man.”

  She inches closer. “Well nobody’s perfect.”

  I crack a smile. “You complete me.” I wrap an arm around her waist when she draws near.

  She puts a hand to my chest, giving me the faintest grin. “Well, here’s another nice mess you’ve gotten me into.”

  Having her in my arms, having her quote movies back to me. It’s heaven.

  “Wait a minute. Wait a minute. You ain’t heard nothin’ yet.” I tug her flush against me, our lips hovering inches apart. “Hello
, gorgeous.”

  “You talking to me?” she asks.

  “Yes.” I grin. “I love you.”

  “Say it again.” Her eyes catch the glow of the moon, and I’m love-struck.

  “Say what again?”

  “Get down on your knees and tell me you love me.”

  I smile as I kneel before her. “You have bewitched me, body and soul, and I love…I love… I love you.”

  “You had me at hello,” she says.

  I stand and cup her face in my palms. “I love you. If you’re a bird, I’m a bird.”

  “After all, I’m just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her,” she says with a small giggle.

  I laugh. “You just ruined it.”

  “What?” She throws a hand on her hip.

  “You can’t quote that movie back. We were doing so good. I was actually proud of you.”

  She laughs. “Oh, come on Notting Hill is a good movie.”

  “I take back everything I said,” I say, raising a brow.

  She slaps my arm. “Oh my God.”

  I spin in a slow circle, holding my hands out. “Are you not entertained?” I shout.

  “I don’t know that quote.”

  “It’s Gladiator.” I raise my hand, ready to give her a thumb down.

  “Don’t you dare give me a thumb down, mister.”

  I laugh, giving her a thumb up. “You win.”

  “Well, I have a little something to tell you.” The nervous look on her face scares me. “Don’t get mad, ok? I kind of did something today.”

  “What’s that?” I ask. “I won’t be mad, baby.”

  “I went to the courthouse and stopped the annulment.”

  I pick her up, spinning her in a circle before setting her down and kissing the fuck out of her.

  THE END

  Epilogue

  So, it was Stan. And we got a nice sum of money from suing him over it. But, that’s not all that has changed.

  Sometimes life doesn’t always go according to plan.

  Sometimes, something you think is bad, actually opens the door for many more good things to come your way.

  After the article, Chelsea was contacted by a few agencies. Agencies that didn’t want her to change her image. Don’t get me wrong, she’s a good girl…but usually only for me.

  She landed an even a better role than the psycho stalker. Her first movie debuts later this month.

  It’s a Misery remake, and she’s been great.

  Life for me is turning around as well. I did quit Bunny Hunnies and was offered a job with the LA Times. The LA Times, yo. Like I never knew I could even dream something this big.

  It’s definitely been an experience. But, my website is booming, and so is Chelsea’s career.

  We took a little trip back to Vegas, with our friends and family, and had a big ol’ Las Vegas wedding. Complete with an Elvis officiant.

  And at the end of the day, when she smiles down at her beautiful ring on her finger, I have just one more surprise for her.

  I whip out a black box, and hand it to her. She smiles, ever so gracefully.

  Inside, a beautiful bracelet with a camera and a star. Camera to represent me. And the star to represent her. Together forever.

  I still adore taking pictures of Chelsea. She’s one of my favorite subjects to catch on film. We’re always looking for a dark room to see what develops, get it?

  But, we’re way more cautious.

  Wouldn’t want the paparazzi getting their hands on the sex tapes I have hidden safely in our home.

  No, those are for our viewing pleasure only.

  And no, you’re not getting your hands on the tapes either. They’re private and if you touch them, I may have to shoot you…Get it? Shoot, Camera? Oh snap, maybe you do.

  Acknowledgments

  Thank you so much for reading PLAYBOY.

  In this book, I used a lot of movie quotes, here’s a list of each quote and what movie it goes with.

  “I’ve always depended on the kindness of strangers”… A Streetcar Named Desire.

  “Fear is not real. The only place fear can exist is in the fear of the future. Fear is a choice”……………..After Earth.

  “I’m so sorry. I failed you. You trusted me, and I failed you”…. Batman.

  “I can’t stop thinking about you and I don’t know what to do”…… Something Borrowed

  “You want the moon? Just say the word and I’ll throw a lasso around it and pull it down”….. It’s A Wonderful Life

  “I feel like an idiot right now for trusting you”……. Knocked Up

  “You make me want to be a better man”….. As Good As It Gets

  “Well nobody’s perfect”……Some Like It Hot

  “You complete me”……. Jerry Maguire

  “Well, here’s another nice mess you’ve gotten me into”………Sons of The Desert (Laurel and Hardy)

  “Wait a minute. Wait a minute. You ain’t heard nothin’ yet”…….. The Jazz Singer

  “Hello, gorgeous”…….. Funny Girl

  “You talking to me?” ………. Taxi Driver

  “I love you”…………. Star Wars

  “Say it again”……..Casablanca

  “Say what again?” ……Pulp Fiction

  “Get down on your knees and tell me you love me”…..Home Alone

  “You have bewitched me, body and soul, and I love…I love… I love you”..……Pride and Prejudice

  “You had me at hello”…..Jerry Maguire

  “I love you”….. Star Wars

  “If you’re a bird, I’m a bird”……..The Notebook

  “After all, I’m just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her”…. Notting Hill

  I knew at the end I wanted them to have a convo in nothing but movie quotes, that is no small feat. After studying movie quotes and trying to make the best fluid convo, that’s what I got.

  Also, when I first started with the quotes, I hadn’t really picked a movie. I told my editor, “hey, go find me a movie quote.” and she came back with the Streetcar Named Desire quote.

  I had always figured I would find a new quote…as it was just my filler quote while I finished writing the book.

  But then, I decided to look the movie up.

  I had never seen it (still haven’t) but after researching everything about the movie, I felt it was a perfect fit.

  Blanche DuBois, portrayed by Vivien Leigh in the 1951 version, lied because she was unhappy with the cards life had dealt her. The main theme of the movie A Streetcar Named Desire was Fantasy versus Reality. And, I wanted Jonah to enjoy being married to Chelsea that he enjoyed the fantasy of it. So, he lied (by not telling her) and it kept escalating from there.

  I really do hope you enjoyed this book.

  As always, I have a few people to thank.

  Paula thank you for all your blood, sweat, and oh so many tears of hard work you poured into this book.

  Thank you to Lauren V., and Misty for all your hard work.

  Thank you to every blogger, reader, reviewer for taking the time and sharing this book to get the word out.

  Thank you.

  If you’d like to have the bracelet Jonah gives Chelsea at the end of the book, it’s available on AMAZON

  PLAYBOY: DELETED SCENES

  Here’s a few deleted scenes:

  As always, I tear a book apart while writing it.

  These scenes are unedited, and were removed for various reasons such as, did not advance the plot, or did not bring the character into the best of light.

  Many of these scenes did not paint Chelsea in the best of light, and she was coming off in the beginning very shallow and mean.

  So, many of these scenes were cut for that reason.

  Enjoy

  “Where to now?” Jonah asks as he pulls out of the parking lot.

  “Well, I’m starving. Can we grab a bite to eat?”

  “Sure.” He smiles. “Want to
ride with me?”

  I glance out the window as the city rushes by in a blur.

  “Can I ask you a question?” I say in a soft voice I don’t even recognize. Why am I so nervous?

  “Of course, ask away.” His laid back attitude softens my nerves a tiny bit.

  “Is there a reason you’ve been treating me like a five-year old at every photo shoot?” I hold my breath, waiting for his answer.

  He stops at a red light and faces me. “What are you talking about?”

  “You, Jonah. You cover me up. You crop me out of shots. It’s like you don’t want me working there, or something. Does this have to do with Declan?”

  He blows out a steady breath as he moves through the intersection after the light turns green. “It isn’t that.”

  I cross my arms. “Well, what is it?”

  He taps his thumbs on the steering wheel before answering, “I just don’t want anyone staring at you. Wait, that came out wrong. I just know what the guys are thinking when they do look at you.”

  “What does that even mean? What are they thinking about?”

  “Nothing. It doesn’t matter.” He turns left into a parking lot of a small Italian restaurant. He shuts the Jeep off, but I don’t budge.

  “What do you mean?” I ask.

  He presses his lips together, creating a perfectly straight thin line. “Are you hungry? Let’s eat.” He opens his door, and places one foot on the concrete outside.

  “I’m not moving until you answer.”

  He smiles. “I guess you’ll starve then.” He gets out, and slams his door shut.

  Asshole. I swing my door open, calling out after him, “I’m not done with this conversation, Jonah.”

  He laughs, turning around to face me, and walking backwards with his hands in his jeans pockets. “Oh, I think the convo is done.”

  “Not uh,” I smart back.

  “Ok, see this is why I treat you like a five-year old. Look at how you’re acting.” He laughs.

  I catch up to him, and he turns around to walk beside me. “I’m acting normal.” Ok, maybe I’m not, but still. He’s infuriating.

  He opens the door to the restaurant, holding it for me so I can step through. The place isn’t that busy, and we sit immediately in a quiet booth in the back.

  “I love Italian food,” I tell him.

  “Me too. I remember your mom made the best spaghetti in the whole neighborhood.” His eyes light up and it makes me smile.