Star-Struck, Book 1

by Twyla Turner

  When they got to the door, they were instantly let in without question. Gabe knew the bouncer from the previous times he had come to the lounge. Walking in, the lounge had a dark seductive feel to it. It was decorated in black, red, silver and gold. With leather booths and velvet couches. They sat next to each other on one of the cozy leather love seats. Across the room from where they sat were works of art of the naked female form, many similar to the Renaissance age, where the women reminded him of Sunny. Soft with dangerous curves, like what he felt a woman should look like.

  As he looked at Sunny, who was looking around taking in the details of the place, he thought of the women he’d been with in the past. Several had been hard-bodies, with hours spent at the gym. Others skinny and waif-like, that ate like rabbits. But gazing at Sunny he realized that none of that was as appealing as her plush and inviting curves. He just wanted to bury himself in her and not leave for a week. If only he could convince her of this, he’d be in business.

  A waitress walked up to take their food and drink orders. Her mouth dropped open when she realized who he was. “Wow. Mr. Wolf, my name is Bree and I’ll be your server tonight. And if there is anything you need, I mean anything, don’t hesitate to ask. Is there anything I can get you started with?”

  Gabe recognized the innuendo in her voice. But there was absolutely nothing that the frail, bleach blonde with gigantic fake boobs could do for him. Noticing that she hadn’t even acknowledged Sunny’s presence, Gabe looked to Sunny to place her order first. “Ladies first.” He pointedly looked at Bree then at Sunny, letting her know that he was in fact with the beautiful girl next to him. “What would you like to drink, Sweet Girl?”

  For the second time the waitress’s mouth dropped open and gave Sunny a look he didn’t appreciate. “Oh, sorry. What can I get for you?” She asked in a snotty tone.

  Sunny ignored her and gave Gabe an innocent look. “I’ll take a Corona, with lime and a salt shaker please.”

  Gabe looked at Sunny suspiciously, wondering what she was up too. “I’ll take a whiskey, neat.”

  The waitress scurried away to grab their orders. Gabe still stared at Sunny curiously.

  “What?”

  “You’re up to something.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She smiled sweetly at him as the waitress brought their drinks. She placed their drinks in front of them, as well as Sunny’s salt shaker and lime on a napkin.

  “Would you also like to order something to eat?” The waitress asked.

  “Give us a few minutes, thank you.” Gabe responded not looking at her, but focused on Sunny to see what she planned to do with the lime and salt. He understood the lime, but had no idea what the salt could be for.

  Sunny grabbed the lime, squeezed the juices into the bottle of Corona, took the lime and rubbed it all over the neck of the bottle, coating the neck in lime juice. Then she grabbed the bottle tilted it to the side, took the salt shaker and started to shake salt onto the bottleneck as she rotated it, until the neck was lightly covered in salt. What the hell is she doing? OH. MY. GOD!

  Gabe watched as she brought the bottle to her mouth, then placed her tongue on the bottom of the neck, slowly licked up to the top and then tipped the bottle up taking a sip of the beer. She placed the bottle back on the table and looked up at him from under her lashes coyly.

  She was the only woman who could make him go from normal to rock hard in the span of a second. “You totally did that on purpose!”

  “I did not! I love Corona and that is how I was taught to drink it the first time I ever had one.”

  “Right. You could’ve had any of the many beers they have here. Even your favorite ‘blue mountains’, but you decide to get the beer that you happen to lick like a champ? I really think that you are trying to kill me. Death by exploding blue balls!” He scowled at her.

  “Well since you put it that way, now I just feel bad. I didn’t mean to get you worked up. Well not that worked up.”

  Gabe leaned into her, burying his nose in her neck and rubbing it up to her ear. “Don’t worry I have every intention of getting you back later. Much. Much. Later.” Each of the last words was punctuated by a kiss on her ear, finished by a quick flick of his tongue on the shell. Uncontrollable shivers coursed through her body.

  “Ahem.” A voice broke into their playful flirtation. They looked up to see the sour faced waitress. “Are you ready to place your orders?”

  “Oh, sorry. I may not be that hungry anymore, seeing as how good she tastes.” Gabe purposely said it to piss Barbie off.

  “Don’t listen to him. Sorry, we haven’t even looked at the menu. Hold on just as sec.” Sunny quickly scanned the menu. “Hey Gabe, do you like hummus?”

  “Love it.”

  “Okay, we’ll start with the hummus platter appetizer. And I’ll have the Mediterranean Stromboli.”

  “And I’ll get the Buffalo Chicken Stromboli. Thank you.” Gabe ordered and quickly dismissed the waitress. Turning back to Sunny, “So, you have a thing for Mediterranean cuisine?”

  “Yeah. Most of it is light and flavorful. I love it.”

  Hmm…maybe one day, if everything goes the way I hope it will, I’ll take her there.

  “You’re flavorful.” Gabe murmured while he reached over to nibble on her neck and shoulder.

  “And you’re full of it.” Sunny said breathlessly as she pushed him off of her neck. “So I only got to ask you one question about yourself earlier. That wasn’t nearly enough.”

  Gabe pretended to pout at not being able to taste more of her skin, but it was probably a good idea that she stopped him, because he knew he couldn’t. “Alright shoot.”

  “Well, first let me start by saying that IMDB is one of my favorite websites and apps of all time. I’m looking up movie and actor information almost on a daily basis. So yes, I have looked you up before. But I’m not a stalker or anything.” She was looking down at her wringing hands again.

  Gabe touched her chin with his index finger and pressed up, forcing her to look at him. “No one would accuse you of being a stalker, Sweet Girl. Most times you’re trying to run away from me.”

  “True. Though I’m trying to stay put.”

  “I’ve noticed. And I’m glad.” He leaned forward and gently placed a kiss on her ridiculously soft lips and had to restrain himself from going deeper.

  Again, she pulled back and inhaled and exhaled slowly. As if, she was trying to check herself as well. “So as I was saying. I noticed that your Mini Biography was empty, but there was some Trivia about you. One of the things it said was that you were an orphan. And I’ve seen interviews with you, where they asked you questions about your childhood, but you always find a way to dodge the questions. So…what was your childhood like?” She finally asked hesitantly.

  This subject he had always avoided like the plague. His past life was no one’s business. And his skin usually prickled in anger when anyone asked about it. But now, he felt like purging himself. Telling her everything. He realized that he trusted her…that much. With his past. With my heart. Shit! He knew he was in trouble now, if she walked away. If she decided that she couldn’t deal with the constant scrutiny of being with someone in the spotlight. And she walked away. She’d be taking all of him with her. That’s just how much she had already gotten under his skin. Infiltrated his every emotion. Now that he knew her and she was a part of his life, he couldn’t imagine her not being in it. How could this beautiful tiny curvy little spitfire come to mean so much to me in only three days’ time? He couldn’t figure it out, but decided not to question it. And to just open up. Well, here goes nothing. And for the first time since he had become Gabriel Wolf the actor, he told his story.

  Gabe cleared his throat, “Sunny, you have to understand that this is hard for me. I’ve never talked about my past with anyone before.” He took a deep breath, fortifying himself to tell a difficult part of his life. And gaining strength from the reassuring and attentive look she ga
ve him. But before he could start the waitress came back with their appetizer. She left quickly after placing the plates on the table, sensing the tension.

  Sunny picked up some of the warm pita bread and dipped it into the hummus, patiently waiting for him to begin. He loved that she wasn’t pushing, just giving him time to get his thoughts together. As if she had all the time in the world.

  ~~~

  He also took some food, chewed thoughtfully and began again. “IMDB was right. I was…am an orphan.” Sunny could see the hurt written all over his face when he said the word ‘orphan’. It broke her heart. He continued through the pain. “I was abandoned at the hospital after I was born. My mother left a note, a picture, and a baby blanket that she had crocheted herself. In the note she wrote that her and my father had been happily married. Her name was Francesca and she was from Spain…Mataró, a coastal city outside of Barcelona. And my father Erik Wolf was from Oslo, Norway. I guess he came from a wealthy family that wanted him to follow his in father’s and grandfather’s footsteps and become a doctor. And before he went off to medical school, he took a holiday, traveling around Europe. That’s when he met my mother. She was eighteen and he was twenty-two.

  “They fell in love, though my mother’s family had hand-picked a Spanish boy they wanted her to marry. I guess my dad’s family was pressuring him to come back to start medical school and her family didn’t want her to have anything to do with him. So he took what money he could get from his trust fund and they ran off to America. He was able to obtain a scholarship at the University of Michigan. So they moved there and she got jobs cleaning houses, while he went to school. She got pregnant, so they decided to get married at the courthouse. When she went into labor, he was in class, so a neighbor they had made friends with, drove her to the hospital. On his way to the hospital, my father was rushing and not paying attention, when a car struck him while he was crossing the street.” Sunny gasped, not realizing that the story would have such a tragic turn to it.

  “He didn’t make it. But I guess he got to see me once, before he died. My mother was distraught and didn’t know how she would make it in this country without him. So her friend helped her get enough money to make it back to Spain. And she left me in the hopes that I would have better opportunities and a better life here. She left the note, a picture of her and my father and the blanket on her hospital bed, before she snuck out.” Gabe rubbed his hands over his face, through his hair and then starting fiddling with his empty glass. He looked so incredibly sad and remote. With the need to touch him, soothe him, Sunny reached over and clutched his hand. Giving it a firm squeeze.

  Their bitch of a waitress came over to drop off their food and more drinks. Sunny could tell that she noticed the tension and their serious faces, and guessing wrong at the cause, because she gave a satisfied smile thinking that they were fighting or something. And she walked away, swaying her sad excuse for hips, as if Gabe would notice. But he was too deep in thought, to pay her much attention. Sunny wasn’t even sure if he realized that his food was now in front of him.

  “You don’t have to go on if you don’t want to.” Sunny stroked his shoulder and back.

  “No it’s okay. I want to tell you.” He blew out a breath making his cheeks puff out. “So as you can guess, like so many stories, I got lost in the system. I didn’t get adopted before I passed the cute baby stage. Then that’s when I got passed around from foster home to foster home. Some were better than others. Because I was a cute kid the foster mothers loved me. But that only pissed off the other foster kids, and they would find ways to pinch, hit or kick me when no one was looking. When I got older, I grew fast, and looked so much older than most of the other boys my age. The foster mothers noticed that too. And so did the foster fathers. My first time was with a foster mother. When her husband found out, he beat the shit outta me. And then I was sent off to the next foster home. This happened a lot. Either the husbands would send me packing before his wife could even think about getting to me or they would kick my ass when she did. I learned to defend myself pretty quickly and used gym class to bulk up and get stronger. But I think Child Services finally wised up and I was sent to a foster home where the parents were actually more like grandparents, so they were fine with me. Though, I was already almost seventeen by that time. So I only had about a year and a half before I was out of the system and on my own.

  “That was when I found my passion. I was angry all the time. And the drama teacher noticed me and said that I could direct all my frustrations into acting. I got involved in the spring play and loved it. Was good at it. That’s when I got the idea to move to L.A. I found any jobs that I could get in order to save up enough money to buy a bus ticket. And I did. I graduated by the skin of my teeth in June and spent the next two months busting my ass. And when I turned eighteen that August, I was up and ready to go. Packed up the few clothes I had, my mother’s note, picture and blanket; and got on a bus. When I got to L.A., I worked as a waiter, of course, and stayed at a shelter because I didn’t have enough money for an apartment yet. I saw in the paper that they were casting extras for a movie. So I went and people involved in the movie noticed me, I guess I stood out, and that was it. They set me up with an agent and I was cast in my first speaking role in a movie a month later. And it’s been chaos ever since.” He took a deep inhalation of air and blew it out quickly. Like finally getting it off his chest released something inside of him.

  Sunny realized how crazy his life must feel to him. Going from feeling like absolutely no one wanted him to everyone wanting him in an instant. And not necessarily wanting him for who he is, but for his status. That had to be a little confusing. Technically, he had never been wanted or loved for who he truly is. Well I plan on changing that right now!

  “Have you ever tried to find your mother?”

  “No.” The word was said sharply. Uh oh, dangerous territory. Thread lightly.

  “Why not? She obviously loved you. Wanted a better life for you. She probably didn’t think you would ever suffer the way you did.”

  “I said no. She was weak; she left me, apparently didn’t love me enough and left me to have one hell of a childhood. She gave me a name and a few mementos. Great. I have nothing to say to her. And that’s final.” Gabe grabbed a knife and fork, cutting into his food angrily.

  Sunny knew that she had crossed the line, but she felt she had to try. For his sake, and the sake of his mother, whom she was sure loved him deeply. She quietly started eating as well, staying silent to give him some space.

  Gabe startled her, when he suddenly grabbed her hand in a vise-like grip. Her head quickly turned to look at him. He let go of her hand to envelope her face with his large hands. He looked at her with a kind of desperation.

  “I’m so sorry Sunny. I didn’t mean to take out my anger on you. I just get so…I don’t know. Just please forgive me.”

  “Oh Gabriel, I’m not mad at you. I can understand why you’re upset. I shouldn’t have pushed you.” She paused and placed her hand along his cheek. “I adore you Gabriel. You’re a good man.”

  He instantly pulled her face to his, devouring her mouth. As if it was the last kiss they’d ever have. Sunny was thankful the lounge was pretty dark. Because she was sure they’d be causing more of a spectacle than they already were.

  She pulled back, and with her hands on his face, she kissed his forehead, eyelids, nose, cheeks, strong chin and finally a soft peck on his firm lips. She was making sure she infused every ounce of the love she had to give and that he very much needed into every kiss.

  Sunny finally pulled away from him. “Let’s finish our food”, she said smiling softly at him. As he gazed at her with what looked like adoration, which she tried to ignore for fear of hoping for too much.

  ~~~

  Shit. Shit. Shit! He was in love with her. I am completely head over heels in love with her. He couldn’t fathom how anyone could fall in love with someone after knowing them only a few days. But it was happening. To h
im. And it was scary as hell. He hadn’t let anyone in…ever. He had always been afraid of rejection. Of giving his heart to someone completely and risk them walking away when they found him lacking. But even after telling Sunny his story, she still looked at him as if he was anything but lacking. She seemed to accept him for who he really was.

  Though he couldn’t entirely find fault with the women of his past. He had never given them the chance to know who he really was. Once the relationship got to the point of learning everything about each other, he would always find a way to bail. But Sunny did what she always does best. She saturated herself into his life and heart, like sunshine penetrates through the cracks in concrete.

  After they had finished their dinner, Sunny excused herself, and headed to the ladies’ room. Gabe watched as she walked away, admiring her form. He shook his head, trying to remove the hazy cloud of sensuality that blanketed him. That’s when he saw the over-inflated stick figure that was their waitress walking towards him. She tried sashaying her hips seductively, and after watching Sunny’s curvy hips sway, he found the waitress’s walk decidedly deficient.

  “Here’s your check handsome. And if you’re ever interested in someone that is a little better suited for being on your arm, give me a call. My number is on the back of your receipt.” She bit the bottom of her unnaturally puffy Botox injected lip.

  Gross. Gabe couldn’t get over the nerve of this brash, deluded overconfident bimbo. He picked up the receipt with her number on it, inspected it thoughtfully. Then he slowly started tearing it into tiny little pieces in front of her face. Letting the pieces scatter across the table when he was finished, all the while looking right into her eyes.

  “’Better suited’, huh? And you think you’re better suited? Sweetheart, when I take a woman into my bed, I need to make sure she’s got curves to handle my size. Curves you seem to be lacking. And I also don’t want to worry that when I squeeze too hard or kiss too roughly that she doesn’t pop from her expensive upgrades. I know what I need and want. And you’re not it.” He reached into his pocket, pulled out his wallet, slid out his credit card and handed it to the dumbfounded waitress. Tears threatened to spill down her over-done face as she stormed away, and behind her stood Sunny.