Read From Fame to Shame Online
Authors: Veronica Blade
From Fame to Shame (6 page)
With an hour and a half to kill before our breakfast
appointment
— not date — I could indulge for a bit, maybe grab some orange juice and read the newspaper in bed. Jackie liked to keep up on current events. At the very least, the papers would get a quick scan. She probably had them delivered.
I stretched my barely-there tank top down past my waist and stepped onto the cool wood floor.
I opened the door to the hallway and jumped at the sight of Dallas reaching down to pick up the newspaper in front of his door. I had a vague awareness of dark, messy hair, but was too distracted by his bare chest.
“Good morning.” His gaze lowered to my tank top, then lowered still to my teeny tiny shorts.
He gave me a lopsided smile. “I’m glad you’re up. We can do breakfast now.”
The twinkle in his eyes commanded me to smile back. I couldn’t help it. “Just rolled out of bed.”
“I can see that.” His eyes swept over me. “You should roll around in your bed more often.”
“Um…” Lord, what the hell was he trying to do? The only image going through my mind was
him
rolling around in my bed. He was already dressed for it too — flannel boxers and nothing else. I pushed away the image of his arms wrapped around me and dropped my gaze to my toes, so he wouldn’t see the heat rushing into my cheeks.
“Change of plans,” he said. “We’re doing breakfast at my place.”
Chapter Five
“Breakfast here? Anna’s delivers?” I asked, angling myself with my arms crossed over my chest so I didn’t feel as naked.
“No. I’m cooking.”
Dallas cooked? Another thing to add to my long list of what made him desirable. “You sure?”
“Absolutely.” His eyes strayed to my tank top before meeting mine again. “Go get dressed and come over in twenty minutes.” He turned to go, then paused. “On second thought, what you’re wearing is just fine.”
When I raised one brow, he shrugged and then went into his condo.
I brushed, washed and combed everywhere possible, then raced to Jackie’s closet. Hopefully, she’d have something appropriate for a stay-in breakfast. Something that didn’t require stilettos.
My eyes scanned the selection of skirts, tops and pants in every color and style, then landed on the shelves lined with boots. I breathed a sigh of relief when I found some with less than four inch heels.
The weatherman had warned that the temperature would reach the mid-eighties later. Grabbing a pair of jeans riddled with holes, I sifted through Jackie’s blouses until I found a sleeveless top — something that covered more than what I’d worn to bed, but still kept me cool.
As I opened my front door, the scents of bacon and herbs hit me. My stomach growled. Well, no wonder it was so strong in the corridor — he’d left his door open.
“Dallas?” I called out.
“Come on in,” he returned.
My cell vibrated, just as I pushed the door open the rest of the way. I dug it out of my pocket. Jackie. She was probably checking in. “I gotta take this. Be right back.”
“Hey.” I ducked back out into the hallway.
“Why are you whispering?” she asked.
I closed his door and raised my voice. “I’m not.”
“Everything okay? You haven’t run into any trouble, have you?”
“Uh… no.”
“Uh-huh.” Long pause, like she didn’t believe a word of it. Even though, technically, I’d only uttered two.
“What’s going on?” I asked, unable to fathom what could possibly be annoying her.
She exhaled. Loudly. “Did you see this morning’s TMZ blog?”
Oops. Lisa’s handi-work? “No. Why?”
“They’re saying I’m pregnant, because I refused a drink last night. What gives? You’re young and single. Would it have killed you to imbibe?”
“I'm not twenty-one. Besides, lots of people don’t drink,” I said.
“But I do — until last night. Therefore, I must be knocked up,” Jackie growled. “Worse, they’re saying Dallas is the father and we’re back together. The pictures of you wearing his jacket, then leaving together didn’t help. Maddie, am I back together with Dallas?”
“Wh-What? No!”
“Did he drive you home last night?”
“Well…”
“Oh, my God.” Her voice had taken on an apathetic tone, like I’d disappointed her. Hey, I was in this mess because I was doing her a favor. “Did you sleep with him?” she asked.
I straightened my spine, even though I knew she couldn’t see over the phone. “No way. I just met him yesterday.”
She sighed. “Out of all the reasons you could give me for not sleeping with him,
that’s
the one you picked. How about—”
“One more minute.” I held up an index finger when Dallas poked his head through the doorway.
“You’re with him right now, aren’t you? Oh, Maddie.”
“He’s just making me breakfast. No big deal.”
She groaned. “He’s
cooking
for you?”
I removed the phone from my ear. “It's a harmless breakfast.”
“Nothing harmless about what he whips up. His parents are chefs, so he’s picked up a few tips and anything he makes is beyond yummy.”
“Uhm, you’re not doing a good job talking me out of it,” I said.
“You know what I mean. Better to just avoid the whole package.”
I snuck back into Jackie’s condo, so I wouldn’t have to worry about Dallas overhearing. “Hmmm.”
“So you’ll cancel breakfast, right?” It was more like a command than a request.
The scent of whatever delicious goodness he was whipping up followed me inside. Yeah… like I could turn that down. “But I’m hungry,” I said, almost whining.
“Listen to me. This is
my
life you’re living. And I’m so grateful you’re doing this, but I could give you a million reasons why you need to stay away from Dallas, the least of all being that I dated him. Just keep in mind that if you start something up, do anything with him, I’m going to have to dump him when I get back. You get that, don’t you?”
“I guess.” She was right. It was wrong to make her deal with something I started. Not only that, he thought I was Jackie. What would I do when it was time to go home? I couldn’t tell him I’d been lying and pretending to be someone else. Oh, yeah, that would go over well.
My heart sank. Anything I did with Dallas would only end badly for me. I couldn’t afford any entanglements.
“Hey, Maddie?” Jackie asked.
“Yeah?”
“Thanks again for doing this.” Her tone softened. “I’m sorry if I sound bitchy. It's not your fault tabloids suck.”
“No problem.” I smiled into the phone.
“And I know it can’t be easy for you there without Mom and Dad, without me. But it won’t be forever, then you’ll be home again.” She paused. “Which is more reason not to start anything up with Dallas.”
She made a good argument. I shouldn’t have said yes to
coffee
. “Yeah.”
“You’re doing the right thing. He’s good at being adorable and, next thing you know, you’re watching a movie at his house,
snuggling
.”
Jackie made snuggling sound like it was right up there with cleaning toilets. “What’s wrong with snuggling?” I asked.
“Nothing wrong if you’re going to keep him. But you’re not. Besides, we’re eighteen. We don’t want to get tied down with one guy. This is the time to make mistakes and experience life while we’re young and can still get away with it.”
I couldn’t disagree more. And she wasn’t getting away with it at all. Not if you read the tabloids and all their judgy comments. But I didn’t want to go into all that with her right then.
“Speaking of getting away with things. You’re doing okay as me?” I asked.
“Easiest acting job I’ve ever had.” She laughed. "You live an easy life, Maddie. It’s just what I needed."
I smiled into the phone. “You sound better.”
“It’s good to get away.”
We hung up just as Dallas tapped at the door. “Jackie?”
I swung the door open and the aroma, stronger this time, invaded my nose and tickled my saliva glands. My mouth watered.
He grinned. “Breakfast is ready.”
So was I.
For a home-cooked meal, I mean. He’d never go for me. As if.
Breakfast. That’s it.
“Great. I’m starving.” I followed Dallas into the dining room where two plates sat on a table, filled with an omelet next to fried potatoes and bacon.
He pulled a chair out for me. “Going for a more natural look today?”
Damn. Back home, I usually skipped makeup, like now. But I was supposed to be Jackie Bloom. Dressing up was required, even if you never left the building.
“I didn’t want breakfast to get cold,” I offered.
“I like the natural look on you.” But he still seemed suspicious.
“Food smells great.” My olfactory system danced in anticipation. I sat and scooted the chair in, hoping if I ignored his doubtful stare, he’d forget all about the recent changes in Jackie.
One side of his mouth lifted. “Dig in.”
“Mm,” I said, chewing the first bite. Not being much of a cook, I couldn’t identify the spices. I only knew they were exactly right, blending perfectly with the bell peppers, mushrooms and what tasted like pepper jack cheese. “This is delicious.”
“I’m glad you like it.” He paused a moment, still watching me. “Would you mind reading with me? After we eat,” he said between bites.
“A book?” What an odd request.
Dallas chuckled. “No, a script.”
“I thought you weren’t doing anything for a few weeks.”
He nodded. “Yeah, but I’ve got a small part on
Love and Loathing
.”
I tilted my head, brows drawn. “That’s a daytime soap.” A definite step down from starring in blockbuster movies.
“Yeah, but my mom is a huge fan. She hasn’t missed a show in thirty years. I play a fitness trainer. One of my lines is ‘Happy birthday, Rose.’ That’s my mom’s name and it airs on her birthday. I'm keeping that gig quiet though, so she'll be surprised.”
Unbelievably sweet. My insides turned to mush.
Jackie had said Dallas was too nice. I was beginning to understand why it hadn’t worked out with them. She went through guys like a bulldozer and wasn’t very
nice
. Plus, she had terrible taste in men. Usually.
“So you’ll read with me?”
As if I could say no after telling me about his mom’s birthday present. I’d read with Jackie before. It didn’t require much acting. “Sure.”
I rose to take my plate to the sink, then rinsed it off. I swung around to stick it in the dishwasher and bumped right into Dallas and his hard chest. He grasped my shoulders to steady me.
“Sorry.” I tried to back up, but my butt hit the counter.
“For what?” If he moved any closer, our thighs would touch.
I blinked.
“What are you doing later today?” he asked.
That voice. Sometimes gravely. Sometimes just above a whisper. It turned all his words into something sexy, even though he couldn’t mean
everything
that way.
“I have an appearance at two. Stella’s coming over at noon.”
“What’s it for?”
I leaned my elbows on the counter to create some distance between us, then held my breath as he reached over to brush a finger across my chin.
“Crumb,” he informed me.
“Oh.”
“So, where’s your appearance?” he asked again, his eyes roaming my face.
“Hollywood Boulevard. A restaurant some famous guy is opening.” I knew the name of the movie star, but my mind drew a complete blank. Probably because Dallas’s nearness was sucking out my brains cells, little by little. How was I expected to function with his full, luscious lips so close to mine?
He chuckled. “You mean Steve Heller.”
“Yeah, that guy.”
“And what are your plans tomorrow tonight?” Dallas reached up to rub a lock of my hair between his thumb and finger.
“Plans?” My mouth went dry. He stood way too close and my concentration slipped.
“You
always
have plans.” His eyes caressed my face.
“Not tomorrow night.” Somewhere deep in my soul, I knew that was the wrong answer. But when your brain stops working, telling the truth is so much easier.
“A friend told me that Josh Adams is jamming at Hanks Blues. It’s supposed to be a surprise. Should be fun.”
I nodded, since it was all I was capable of at the moment.
“We’ll have dinner there. I’ll pick you up at six.”
Preventing Dallas from making another date with me would’ve been smart. The words hovered in my throat, but I couldn’t force them out. Even if I didn’t reject his offer, I needed to say
something
. Or, at the very least, finish cleaning up after breakfast. And yet, I couldn’t move. I just stared into his eyes as they fixed on mine.
