Idolized (Hollywood Stardust Book 3) (43 page)

ROXY crosses her arms

STEVEN

(He goes to her and takes her in his arms.)

Baby, it’s only three months.

ROXY

(Puts her head on STEVEN’S shoulder)

Something tells me it’s forever.

STEVEN

We’ve been together forever.

ROXY

I think even forever ends.

STEVEN

(Leans back and looks into her face)

How is that possible?

ROXY

It’s going to end right now.

STEVEN bends down and kisses her.

STEVEN

I have to go.

(He gives her one more quick kiss, lets go of her, and backs away.)

The LIMO DRIVER holds the door open.  STEVEN gets into the car and waves.

ROXY closes her eyes.

The LIMO DRIVER shuts the door and gets into the vehicle and drives away.

ROXY opens her eyes.

Chapter Twenty-One

RYDER PACED AROUND an empty soundstage and glanced at the time. Since Cora’s attack last week, he had been away from her all of four minutes and thirty-seven seconds, not including her bathroom breaks. Wanting to take her out and do something special, he ended production early and left her alone in his trailer with a glass of wine he personally poured, his hair and makeup people, Spike and Rodger.

Fine, maybe she wasn’t technically alone, but he wanted to get back to her ASAP, but needed to make this phone call. If his life were a film, at this moment, the camera would pan in on his cell screen and the music rose, heightening the tension when he pushed call.

On the second ring, Glen answered the phone. “Mr. Scott, what do I owe the pleasure of this call to?”

“I thought we had an understanding.” He rubbed his hand over his face.

“Interesting. For once you and I agree on something.” Glen snickered into the phone.

“Glen, seriously. I’m going to finish filming
Stardom
and then I will finish
Working Title
, if it’s the last thing I do. Leave Cora out of this. I got the message.” Ryder ground his teeth together.

“Oh yes, I heard about Cora’s unfortunate incident.” Any jocularity disappeared from Glen’s tone. “However, you need to do you research better. You may have been sent a note, but it wasn’t from me, and frankly I’m offended you think we’d have done such a shoddy job.”

From his experience, and unfortunately he was proficient, if Glen’s people had done this, they would own it. It was part of the code, the whole honor among thieves thing, but still, something wasn’t setting right. “Of course not.”

“Well, you’re scared and you’re moving in the right direction. I almost wish we would’ve sent a message of our own.” Glen chuckled.

In trying to make things better, Ryder made them worse. He broke out into a sweat. “I don’t need any messages. I know the script.” Needing to return to Cora, he hung up and ran through the studio lot, stopping to inhale and calm down before he opened the door to his trailer.

His empty trailer.

No Rodger being annoying.

No hair and makeup people pampering his girl.

No Spike laying somewhere.

And most importantly, no Cora drinking her pre-approved Ryder wine.

“Cora!” The shout that exited his throat packed, power, strength, and complete and utter panic.

The door to the bathroom opened, Spike trotted out followed by Rodger and lastly, Cora.

“Ryder! Calm down,” she called from the bathroom.

His heart threatening to pound its way out of his chest, he backed up and leaned against the makeup vanity. “How come Rodger’s allowed in the bathroom with you when I’m not?” With his words, he gasped for air. The morning of her attack, he tried to go into the bathroom while she did her business and was quickly shooed away. Actually shoved away. Spike got to watch her, even at home. The whole thing wasn’t fair.

“I just wanted him to fix something on my hair.”

Rodger shook his head. “I’m dog sitting tonight. Spike and I have a whole evening of debauchery planned.”

The secretary motioned to his pet, and Spike trotted alongside him as they left.

“Don’t let him eat only treats and make sure he goes to bed at a proper hour,” Ryder called after them. Hell, it seemed like the right thing to say.

The door closed and he turned toward the bathroom again and waited. In an effort to make tonight extra special, he had the hair and makeup crew do Cora up, and he even chose an evening gown from the costume department. “Are you ready
mi Corazon
?” He needed to get back to charming and sexy leading man rather than crazed and paranoid nut case. It might be a stretch, but it was worth a go.

At last she stepped out, a gorgeous vision in a floor-length black dress. The low-cut ensemble presented a plentiful, yet respectable, amount of cleavage, and also showed off her light complexion and shining red hair perfectly. By far, she was more gorgeous than any starlet he had ever seen.

“God, you’re beautiful.” The charming left him to be replaced with awe.

“So what are we doing tonight?” Even through the makeup, her cheeks glowed.

“One of the perks of being with a man of my star stature is that tickets to the most popular show, where people simply burst into song, are but a mere phone call away.” From his suit jacket pocket, he pulled out two box seats for the impossible to get into show in Hollywood, the
Kiss Me Softly
revival, her favorite.

Her first smile since the incident outshone the color on her cheeks. “This is my favorite.” She stepped closer.

“Then I say we get going.” He returned the tickets to his pocket, took her hand, kissed the back, and led her to Viktor in the waiting company car. On nights like this he didn’t want to drive, he wanted to enjoy and simply look at the woman with him.

He let her into the car, slid in next to her, and put his arm around her.

She turned to him and tickled her fingers over his jawline.

Something about her touch, even little ones, drove him up the wall. He kissed her fingertips, then her palm, then her wrist.

She let out a little coo.

“I wanted to ask you something.” He worked his way up her arm to her neck. “Hear me out.”

“Oh no, what have you done?” She tilted her head to give him better access.

Forbidden from asking if she was all right, he now felt like a bomb waiting to explode. He needed her to voice her feelings. “I don’t think I should go to Arizona.”

“Then stop thinking.” Her words came out terse, but she pushed his face down to her chest.

When presented with bountiful goodness, one had to take a taste. Before continuing his line of questioning, he took the time to kiss the top of each of her breasts, then paid a little special attention to her cleavage. “Cora.” He could never get enough of her.

“Unless you are going to tell me about your raging hard on, I don’t want to hear it.” Her voice took on that corporate tone he hated, especially when she used it on him.

“Cora.” He lifted his head.

“Ryder.” With her jaw jutted out, she sat up straight. “I wasn’t hurt.”

“Thank god.” He faced her, looking right in her eyes.

“Nothing happened.”

“Thank god.”

“I’m fine.” Her eyes narrowed.

“Thank god.”

“Then what’s the issue?” Now she let out a sigh.

“I either want to stay with you here, or I want you to go to Arizona with me.” Especially with everything that happened, he didn’t want to be apart from her.

“I have to go to my meetings. They can’t be rescheduled.” Shaking her head, she leaned back on the set and faced forward. “I’ll come up right after.”

“Then let me postpone the location shoot.” The more she retreated, the more he needed to push.

“What are you going to do? Sit and stare at me while I work? Trust me, if watching a movie being made is boring, it’s nothing compared to watching me stare at a computer screen.”

“Maybe it will give us some time to work on my movie.” He said the first thing that popped in his head.

“You know I didn’t forget, right?”

Even with only the streetlights to illuminate the inside of the car, he saw the muscles of her jaw tighten.

“What didn’t you forget?”

“I know I need to make you a movie. I don’t forget deals. This is why—” She stopped and turned away.

His chest constricted, and he reached out for her, putting his hand on her shoulder. “Why what?”

“I am going to make good on my end Ryder, so don’t you worry your pretty little head over it. But I’m not stupid, I need to do the numbers first. Also, a script would be nice.” The car stopped in front of the theatre, and she put her hand on the door handle toward the street side.

In a flash, he grabbed her hand, pulling her over to the sidewalk side. “I’m holding up my end too, look at the nice public place to photograph our love affair. Let’s make a proper entrance, shall we?” He opened the door. “Smile pretty.”

Star smile practically sewn on his face, he got out of the car to the crowd of people in front of the theatre, and held his hand out to Cora.

She put her hand in his.

Almost the second they appeared, the flashes, points, gasps and screams began.