Starburst

by Jettie Woodruff

  Alley handled the probing questions a lot better than anyone thought she would, and it wasn’t as bad as they thought it was going to be, not yet anyway, she still had almost two months of promoting left, and would be interviewed by the more prominent host as she got closer to the release date.

  “I am very proud of her,” Kay said, getting up and taking the empty beer cans and pizza box to the kitchen.

  “Yes, she did just fine,” Peyton agreed. “I wished one of them would call though. Where could they be, have you talked to Trevas at all?”

  “No, but he did tell me yesterday that once she was done with this interview they were shutting their phones off and would see us Wednesday.”

  “I can believe that,” she said after thinking about it, and knowing how much Alley hated the publicity and the attention.

  “I’m going to bed. Peyton you can have a friend spend the night if you want, just lockup,” Kay teased, deciding she should leave them alone.

  “Yeah, thanks mom,” Peyton joked back.

  “Can she spend the night with me?” Kevin asked, playing along too.

  “Shut up,” Peyton said and Kay only laughed and disappeared to her room.

  Kevin turned to her and asked. “Do you want to make out?”

  Peyton laughed, “With who?”

  “Who do you want to make out with?”

  Peyton moved to his lap with one leg on each side of him, and he looked up to her with his hands on her hips.

  “I can’t even find you with this toddler bedding all over your body,” he teased about her attire. “What the hell is this supposed to be anyway? It looks like a rat.”

  Peyton looked down to see the little critters all over her red pajamas. “It’s not a rat. I think it’s a chipmunk.”

  “Well I don’t like it, take it off,” he demanded, and she laughed.

  “Are you staying here?”

  “I think you should stay with me, especially if you are planning on me making love to you.”

  Peyton didn’t like the way he said it. “I don’t plan on you making love to me, but I am very interested in having sex with you.”

  “Call it how you see it,” he replied, and she wondered what that was supposed to mean, but wasn’t about to ask. “Regardless of what you call it, you are way too noisy to do it with Kay being two doors down.”

  “I am not noisy in bed,” she retorted.

  “Oh you are very noisy, and it makes me hard just thinking about it.”

  “Does it?” she teased, looking down, and he moved in for a kiss, and she moaned.

  He ran his hands up her back and whispered. “You’re not wearing a bra.”

  “Yeah, what’s the point in wearing cozy pajamas with constricting underclothes?” she replied, on his lips.

  “Underclothes… You’re not wearing any underclothes?”

  She didn’t answer and removed herself from his lap, and he followed her to the bedroom. She closed the door and unbuttoned the loud pajama top as he sat on the edge of the bed and watched.

  “Get naked,” she whispered, as the shirt hit the floor and she stood in front of him with her flannel pajama pants riding low on her hips.

  He removed his shirt and all she could think about was having his naked chest on hers, and feeling his strong body on top of her. As soon as he was naked, she slipped out of the pajama pants, he pulled her to him with one reach in the small bedroom and the bed squeaked.

  “This may be a problem,” he acknowledged, rolling her over him. She didn’t respond, too wrapped up in his touch to care until he moved into her and the wooden headboard bounced off the wall.

  “Let me on top,” she requested, hoping that helped, and he flipped her over. It did help briefly while she moved up and down on him slowly, but as soon as she picked up speed it sounded like someone knocking on the door.

  “Hold onto it,” she told him, he reached up and grabbed the headboard with both hands pulling it toward them and away from the wall.

  That too helped briefly until she was so into it and riding him like crazy, causing the springs in the old mattress to come alive.

  “Let’s move to the floor,” he proposed and rolled over. He tried to keep her in him as he tossed the comforter to the floor, and when he moved them toward the comforter, they both hit the floor with a loud thump. She laughed so hard, she couldn’t stop, and Strike the dog barked at the noise from Kay’s room, causing her to laugh even harder.

  “Shhhh,” he hissed, and she got quiet and serious when she saw the way he looked at her with only the light from the moon hitting his face.

  “Why do you have to make me feel so good?” she asked quietly, looking into his eyes.

  “I have a feeling you’re not talking about the sex,” he speculated.

  She didn’t want to go there and instantly changed her tune, wishing she hadn’t just said that. “Actually, that is exactly what I was talking about,” she lied.

  Kevin let it go and moved into her thrusting hips, begging for him. The floor was a lot quieter, and her soft moans were as silent as she could control until she was reaching her peak and they became louder and more overpowering.

  “Oh God Kevin,” she Whispered as quiet as quiet as she could. She arched her breast toward him, throwing her head back. He placed his hand over her mouth and really went at it but that too didn’t stop her loud releasing moan, and he stopped caring as well when he released with her.

  Once they were both back to normal, and their breathing had slowed, Kevin reached up and retrieved a pillow and moved to her side, propped up on one elbow. He moved her hair from her forehead and kissed her softly.

  “Tell me about this Ken guy,” she requested.

  “He’s a snake,” Kevin gave his judgment of him.

  “Why do you think that?”

  “The guy is married with two teenage girls, and he uses Kay for his marital and fatherly escape.”

  “Why isn’t she with someone? She is such a likeable person and very attractive. Why aren’t you two together?” she added, wondering.

  Kevin snickered. “Kay and I are too much alike. We are too good of friends, and I could never picture her any different than that.”

  “How long has it been since she has had a relationship, I mean a real relationship?”

  “That would be Don Beckett. He left here a little over two years ago to take a twelve month job working on oil rigs out in the ocean.”

  “And she wouldn’t wait on him?”

  “She did the first time, and he was back for about two months and left again for the same reason. He’s back here now.”

  “How long has he been back?”

  “I think around three months.”

  “She hasn’t talked to him?”

  “No, she won’t. He even called Trevas once, trying to get him to talk her into talking to him.”

  “Do you talk to him?”

  “Not really, I kind of have to stay loyal to Kay, if you know what I mean.”

  “Do you think she loved him?”

  Kevin snorted. “Why all the interest in Kay’s love life?”

  “I don’t know. I just think she deserves to be in love and happy.”

  “What about you Peyton? Why don’t you have someone in your life?”

  “We’re not talking about me, answer my question.”

  “Yes I think she loved him and I think she still loves him, and that is why she uses Ken. He’s safe for her, and she knows she can’t let her feelings get in the way.”

  “She never runs into him at a bar or a store or anything?”

  “Kay doesn’t really do much. She works a lot and the only socializing that she does is this poker game once a month. Let’s get on the bed,” he told her and pulled her up.

  She cuddled up to his chest but not on her own accord. Kevin had to pull her into his arms, and he kissed her head.

  “I think we should arrange for them to face each other. We could go to that bar and have him come there too.”


  “Oh hell no, I am not getting in the middle of that. I have to work with her every day.”

  “Then I will. Do you know how to get a hold of him?”

  “No, I don’t, and you don’t worry about it. I know Kay, and she would be furious. It took her along time to get over him, and I don’t want her to go through it again. It’s best to leave it alone.”

  “You have to know someone that knows him,” she replied, ignoring his warning.

  “Are you listening to me?”

  “No, just tell me if you know someone that knows him.”

  “No, I don’t know anyone that he knows, now let it go.”

  “Why don’t you have someone Kevin?” she asked, and had no idea what was up with all the questions.

  “I’m going home,” he teased, and she laughed. “I guess the same reason you and Kay don’t have anyone. Go to sleep, I have to work in the morning.”

  “It’s Saturday, why are you working?”

  “Because Kay is making the B crew work and one of us always works if they have to, just a respect, fair thing to do, I guess.”

  “I’m not used to being around people who care about other people like you guys do.”

  Kevin didn’t respond and only kissed her head with a smile.

  “How old are you Kevin,” she asked, and felt him smile on her forehead again.

  “Forty one,” he answered, but didn’t return the question, knowing already by the internet that she was thirty nine.

  Peyton could tell by his even breathing that he had fallen asleep, and she lay in his arms thinking about things that she never let herself think about. She wondered if she felt so strongly about him because of seeing Trevas and Alley so in love, and constantly touching and staring at each other. She wondered why on earth she was making love to him without a condom and knew that they were indeed making love, and it wasn’t just sex for the first time in her life. Even Fletcher had just been sex, and she didn’t really ever remember having feelings for him.

  They were both just starting out when they met, and she was too busy caring about the publicity, the awards and the next movie to worry about being a wife and a mother. She knew there would or could never be anything with Kevin because they were worlds apart. They lived such different lives, but she did wonder if she should find someone to grow old with. She did like the way Kevin made her feel and the way he made her laugh with his silliness. She looked up to him sleeping and placed her hand on his face, and he moved down, and kissed her lips with his eyes closed and she was sure that he had just kissed her in his sleep.

  Peyton woke when she felt Kevin move from the bed, and rolled to her stomach but didn’t open her eyes. She felt him cover her and then move her hair from her face and kiss her four times before she heard him open the door and leave. Her eyes opened, and she shook her head at what the hell was going on.

  Kay woke early too after hearing her making coffee. She let the dog out the back door and sat with the cup of coffee that Peyton had poured for her.

  “You look tired,” Peyton told her.

  “Yeah, someone kept me awake half the night,” she teased.

  “Were we loud?” she asked with a smile.

  “Um…yes and I think it is time to replace Anna’s old bed.”

  “Sorry,” she smiled.

  “It’s fine,” she said in disbelief at Peyton Paxton sleeping with her friend and coworker.

  “Kay, tell me about Don,” Peyton pried.

  Kay didn’t look up from her coffee, not sure what to say. She was instantly pissed at Kevin and intended to tell him about it, first chance she got.

  “Kevin is an ass; you should stay away from him.”

  “Don’t be mad at Kevin. I am the one who asked.”

  “He still doesn’t have the right.”

  “We don’t have to talk about it, I’m sorry.”

  “It’s fine Peyton. Don was over a year ago, I’m over it.”

  “How long were you with him?”

  Kay looked at her with an, ‘I don’t want to talk about it look,’ but answered her question.

  “We started seeing each other when Trevas got into trouble, so about five years, I guess.”

  “I want the details,” Peyton demanded, filling both their cups again.

  Kay snickered. “There really are no details. He wanted to go work in the North Sea on oil rigs, and it was a twelve month assignment. He didn’t have to do it. We both had decent jobs, but I let him because it was something that he wanted to do, and when he was only home a couple months and wanted to go again, I wasn’t willing to let him go again. He had just gotten back, and things were awesome between us, or so I thought they were anyway,” she added. “He chose that over me, and I couldn’t accept it.”

  “Kevin said he is back now.”

  “Yeah and I told you Kevin was an ass.”

  “You don’t even want to see if there is still something there?”

  “Nope, he made his choice, and it wasn’t me, now stop it. Why the sudden interest in my love life?”

  “I don’t know. I just think you deserve better than Ken stopping by and using you.”

  “And what do you think James does?”

  “Nothing anymore, I haven’t seen James in months. I know he was using me for the same reason I was using him. He is in a relationship now, I guess.”

  “And I think you deserve better than that too. It still doesn’t change the fact that it is what it is, and we are who we are.”

  “Yeah I know but being around Kevin has got me thinking that I don’t want it to be that way anymore. I like feeling wanted for more than sex.”

  “Peyton, you and Kevin could never work.”

  “I know that. I don’t necessarily mean Kevin. I just mean, maybe I am ready to find someone and not be alone anymore.”

  “Well I think that is great if that is what you want. Do you have someone in mind?”

  “No, not at all, but I want you to be happy too. You are so alone here.”

  “I’m not alone. I have friends, and I like my life now. Unlike you, I am happy with the way things are.”

  “I don’t believe that. I think you were hurt and devastated that Don didn’t choose you, and you are not willing to let it happen again.”

  Kay spun her cup around in her hand looking down, knowing that she was right, and it was never going to happen again because she wouldn’t let it, and now she was furious with Kevin for telling her and making her bring it back to the surface, forcing her to think about it.

  “Peyton have you ever been hurt by a man?” she asked, looking up.

  “No Kay, I have not. I use men to my advantage and have never even thought about being serious with one guy. I have however watched my daughter go through hell being hurt when she didn’t think she would ever see Trevas again.”

  “They do have a once in a lifetime kind of love.”

  “Don’t you want that Kay?”

  “No Peyton. I don’t, now let’s stop talking about this nonsense. I need to go to the store and get some snacks for tonight.”

  “What kind of snacks?”

  “I don’t know. I usually just get chips and dip and sometimes I will have a tray of those little sandwiches made. Do you like those?”

  “Oh hell no, let’s go to the store, and I will take care of the menu for tonight.”

  Kay laughed, glad that the heavy conversation was over, “Okay fine Chef Peyton, you take care of the food.”

  “Who will be here?” Peyton wanted to know.

  “Well, my friend Stacy and her husband usually come, but they won’t be here tonight because he had a vasectomy yesterday, so it will be you, me, Kevin, Pete and Carter Beckett is going to bring Hank, one of his friends.”

  Carter Beckett, Peyton instantly thought, remembering the name from Don Beckett. He had to be related, this town isn’t that big, she thought, as the wheels begun to spin in her head. Now how was she going to get him alone to ask him? She knew Kevin wou
ldn’t be any help.

  Peyton and Kay were in the kitchen when Kevin showed up and entered the kitchen where it smelled heavenly from Peyton’s appetizer preparation. Kay watched as Peyton moved to him and kissed him with a smile and said hi to him. Kay shook her head, sensing that this was not going to end well.

  “Hmm, what do we have here,” he asked, picking up one of the triangle Tortilla Central’s on the plate. “Damn Kay, why don’t you ever make stuff like this,” he asked, looking at the different plates of fancy o’dourves and Kay knew she would hear about it from all of her guest.

  “I am going to jump in the shower,” Peyton told them, and as soon as Kay heard the water turn on she turned and lit in to Kevin.

  “You stupid son of a bitch, why the hell are you telling Peyton about Don?”

  “She asked, Kay.”

  “And you couldn’t just say that you didn’t know?”

  “I didn’t think it was a big deal. Is it?”

  Kay wanted to say yes, but was it really a big deal or was she the one making it a big deal?

  “Just don’t make me part of your conversation with Peyton” she demanded with an angry tone.

  “I’m sorry Kay, I didn’t mean to upset you, and although I didn’t think she would have the audacity to say anything to you, I shouldn’t have discussed it with her. Will you forgive me?”

  Kay shook her head at him. “I’m still pissed at you.”

  “Okay, but get over it pretty quick. I don’t want to feel bad for taking your money tonight,”

  Peyton dressed in tight jeans with holy legs that were probably suited for more Alley’s age than hers, but she had never acted her age. She wore a white shirt that was cut low and rode high, or her jeans rode low, Kevin wasn’t sure which, but thought she looked way too good to have to stare at all night without touching. Her hair was blown dry with a clip holding back just the front pieces.

  Kay showered next, and when she returned Kevin had his hands up the sides of her shirt and had her backed up against the sink kissing her.

  “We have to eat in here,” Kay said, interrupting their make out session.

  Kay took the cards from the kitchen drawer, and Kevin went to let someone in at the door. They had a cooler of beer on ice and Kay gave Peyton two rolls of quarters and took two for herself.