Just Like Me (17 page)

That Wednesday evening I found myself on his private jet, moving fast toward the same private airport. When I was escorted off the plane, Taylor was waiting for me. He was leaning up against a very sporty looking black car. He was dressed comfortably and clean shaven. I swallowed the frog in my throat and wobbled over to him.

“You look nice.” He said, looking up and down at my jeans and new purple shirt. “I like that shirt.”

“Thanks,” I said, having to look down to remember exactly what it looked like. I wondered what was up with all of the black cars. Why were they all black?

He went around and opened the car door up for me, and I slid inside. He shut the door and I gazed in wonder around at the interior. It was lit up blue; a fancy looking stereo was there with a whole lot of buttons. His speedometer appeared to be able to go past 250. I shuttered at the thought.

He slid into the driver’s seat, jamming it in gear.

“So, where are we going tonight?” I asked, watching the airport disappear behind us in the side mirror. He definitely had a lead foot. The little arrow had already climbed up to fifty.

“You don’t like surprises, do you?”

“Not particularly.”

“Well, we’re eating food.”

“Fancy food? Won’t there be paparazzi?”

“Not where we’re going.”

I gave that some thought, watching the needle climb to sixty.

“You enjoy driving fast?” I said, looking up at his face. I could get lost in the contours, the way his eyes looked smoky. He glanced over and caught me staring.

“You just cannot take your eyes off me. I know I’m stunningly attractive, but you could have some restraint.”

I shook my head, looking out the front windshield.

“You just can’t stand the thought that I’m still the one girl in this world that has the guts to call you out.”

“We’ll see.” He joked, slowing down at a red light. When he stopped he took his hand off of the wheel and reached for mine. He wrapped his fingers around mine, and lifted it up to his lips. It was just like one of those cheesy movie kisses. This time, I didn’t feel bad at the butterflies that began fluttering in my stomach. I even enjoyed them.

“Is that all you’ve got?” I said, trying to make my voice sound less breathless. “Man, it takes a lot more to impress me.”

He chuckled, dropping my hand as the light turned green. I watched the needle climb higher on the speedometer.

“Aren’t you afraid you’ll get pulled over or something?”

“I’ve got a radar, if a police car is near-” He pointed to some little black box on the dash. “That’ll let me know.”

“Isn’t that illegal?”

“So is doing drugs and drinking underage, but no one seems to care if celebrities do it. Some celebs drink, some do drugs, I have a radar. Sue me.”

“I just might consider it. Have you been busted for drinking?”

He parked in front of a large building, it looked like a hotel.

“I figured we’d probably be out late tonight. So I booked you a hotel room.”

“I didn’t pack any stuff.”

He shrugged.

“I’ll send someone out to pick you up some toothpaste and whatnot. Are you trying to tell me you didn’t pack your frilly underwear?”

My face flushed scarlet. “I need something decent to sleep in.”

He opened his car door; I opened up my door and rolled out before he could open up my door. He winked at me.

“Sure you don’t sleep in the nude?” He replied, his lazy gaze looked me up and down.

“No.” I said as I wrapped my arms across my chest. “I’m going to need something to sleep in, like, a t-shirt or something.”

“I’m sure we can figure something out.” He finally agreed, giving up his teasing for the moment.

I glanced up at the hotel we had arrived at, and Taylor started his way up the steps.

“I thought we were going to eat?” I called after him, hesitant to follow.

“We are.”

“What, are you ordering room service?” I began following after him.

“No.”

“Then what are-“

“You have no patience.” He opened the door and I walked through and gazed around the lobby for cameramen. I didn’t see any.

Taylor motioned me over to the elevator and pressed the arrow pointing upward. I stepped up beside him and glanced around curiously. It didn’t take long for the elevator to arrive, he had a hand on the small of my back as he gently guided me inside. I didn’t jump at his touch this time.

“Man, you are pushy.” I teased.

He pressed the button for the top floor. I watched as the numbers climbed higher on the little screen and finally dinged when we reached the top. He walked beside me down a long hallway, and then to a door that specifically warned unauthorized personnel to keep out. Taylor yanked the door open.

“Taylor, did you never learn how to read?” I asked as he motioned me through. A sting ran through me as I considered the possible repercussions might await us for not following the rules. I pictured a judge in a big white wig declaring me to spend twenty years in the slammer. “I mean, with you being an actor and all, I would have figured you knew your ABC’s.”

“I had a terrible childhood.” He answered, closing the door behind us. A set of stairs were leading up to another door. “Well, up we climb.” He announced.

The stairs creaked as we climbed; Taylor was behind me as we took the steps one at a time. I noticed the walls on either side were a cement color. When we reached the door at the top, Taylor reached around me and pushed the door open. I walked out and realized we were on the roof of the building. There was a table set up along with two chairs. I noticed an elegant looking tablecloth and candles on the table. There were empty glasses placed on the table, and I noticed a man in a uniform standing close by.

“Wow.” I said, walking over to the table. “Impressive. Not very original, I must say.”

“I thought stuff like that didn’t matter to you,” He took a seat and I did the same. “Ms. Personality is the Only Thing That Matters.”

“Personality does matter,” I said, glancing down at a menu. “But this is a nice.” I finally admitted.

“Good evening, Mr. Jett.” The man greeted as he stepped over to us. He nodded at me. “What can I get you started off with this evening?”

Taylor held his hand out to me, indicating I should speak first.

“I…water? Please.” Yikes. Real smooth, Delaney.

“I’d like an iced tea.” Taylor said, without as much as a glance toward the guy. “No lemon. Shaved ice.”

The waiter nodded and made his way to the door, disappearing down the stairway.

“So, as a spoiled brat from Hollywood, no one ever taught you how to say please?”

“The please was implied.” He countered, glancing at the menu. “My money is please enough.”

“Right.”

I picked up my menu, glancing at dishes I’d never even heard of. I raised an eyebrow at a few of the names.

“So…where did you grow up?” I asked, cutting the silence.

“Wow, I’m shocked at you, Ms. Delaney. That’s an absolutely boring question.” He shrugged it off anyway, turning the menu upside down for comic effect. “I was born in California; my family was pretty well off thanks to my dad’s job.”

“Your dad runs merchandise stuff for Hollywood?”

“Pretty much, only certain companies. He quickly decided his son should be a movie star. So, here I am.” He smirked. “But you don’t have to play coy, I’m sure you’ve read all of my biographies online.”
              “No. The other night I got some information off of Hector. He filled me in a little bit about your life.”

“Nice to know that you were somewhat interested.”

“Did you want to be one?”

“One what?”

“An actor.”

“At the time I didn’t, but I grew into it.”

“When I was little, I wanted to be a school counselor. Or a social worker.”

“Really. Why did you change your mind?”

“I…”

I wanted to be a counselor so that I could help when a kid like me was growing up in a bad home. To know the signs if a child is in an abusive home. I guess it was too scary for me to actually deal with, though. I felt as if my heart would continually be damaged if I had to counsel broken children every day.

“…changed my mind about it after a while.” I finished lamely.

I had a flashback to a time when I was five years old. I had just gotten off the bus and was inside the house, surprised when I heard my dad already yelling.

“How could you have done this?!” He had thundered, and I watched as he hit my Mom. She had lost her job that day. And I just sat there and watched as her blood poured out onto the carpet. There had been something sitting on the coffee table. A bag? A small plastic bag?

“Earth to Kale?” Taylor was waving his hands in front of my face. I shook my head quickly and erased the memory from my mind. “Wow, you were gone.”

“It wasn’t that bad.”

“It was, I was snapping in front of your face for five minutes.”

“It wasn’t five minutes.”

“You were gone,” He said, a hint of worry clouding his face. “You were some place that I couldn’t reach you.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, glancing at the table. “I don’t know what happened.”

“What were you thinking about? You had this pained expression on your face.”

“I was thinking about how much all this has cost you over the past couple of days. Presidential suites, dates up on the roof, it all must have been one pretty penny.”

He waved it off, unimportant. The waiter strutted back over to our table.

“Would you like to order an appetizer, Mr. Jett?”

“Yea, escargot.” He announced. I tried to hold back a sour face as Taylor glanced over at me, expecting my approval. Then he laughed. “I’m kidding, no appetizer. Unless you want something?”

“No, no I’m good.”

“Of course. Are you ready to order your main course?” The guy asked us.

Taylor glanced up at me and raised his eyebrows.

“Do you have just like…a burger, or something?”
“We have seasoned beef patties that we put on whole wheat buns.”

“But…it’s a hamburger?”
“Yes, Ms. Delaney.”

“Ok. I’ll have that and some fries.” I slid the menu over to the waiter. I looked over and realized Taylor was grinning.

“You know what; I’d like a burger too.” He decided, tossing his menu over to the waiter. The guy caught it awkwardly, and then went right back to what he thought was a proper stance. “Fries. Make it a double cheeseburger. And make sure I get a pack of Tony’s.” He mumbled.

The waiter nodded curtly and then stiffly walked back down the stairs. Taylor stood then and strode over to the edge of the building. A railing went around the entire top. Regardless, it was still slightly terrifying that he was leaning over the side of a very tall building.

“You drink?” I asked, vaguely remembering Tony’s being a brand of beer.

“Not a lot.” He answered, shifting uncomfortably. “But I liked the fact you just ordered what you knew. I admire that.”

“Don’t you like all those fancy named foods?”

I stood up and walked close to where he stood. I didn’t quite go to the edge, I wasn’t quite the daredevil he was.

“Not really. It’s all for show. I don’t like chicken drenched in some sort of seasoned sauce and vegetables I can’t even pronounce.”

He looked up in the paling light, his eyes sparkled. What little was left of the sun danced across his tan face, making him glow. His hair was blowing back slightly as the wind teased it. He held out his hand to me.

“Come on,” He said, smiling. “You’ve got to see this view.” I cringed and he chuckled. “What, you don’t trust me?”

I hesitantly took his hand and he pulled me over to the railing. He stood behind me as I came up to the railing, clutching onto it for dear life. When I leaned over to look, I was amazed. We were 15 flights up, and the city was buzzing. The world below was nothing but a hill of ants. Cars scurried about and went about their business. I watched in awe and felt Taylor’s hands move from the railing to my waist. I felt him as he took a step closer, my back up against his ‘abs of steel.’

“Pretty, isn’t it?” He murmured into my ear. I took a deep breath.

“Mhmm.” I tried to keep my words easy, casual, trying not to think about his body up against mine. “Like ants scurrying around down there.” I noted.

“Yea, it is.” He kept his lips close to my ear.

I felt him tug me, gently, turning me around so that I was facing him, my back to the rail. I felt a slight discomfort as the bar pressed against my back. I looked into the depths of his brown eyes and found myself lost, breathless when I saw he was leaning in. His hands were around me, his head leaned closer. My breath quickened and I felt slightly dizzy as I closed my eyes and waited for his lips to meet mine.

“Taylor!”

We both jumped and whirled around to see Jerry standing at the entrance. I stepped forward quickly, away from the railing and out of Taylor’s grasp. I heard Taylor swear under his breath.

“I need to speak to you.” The way his tone was set, Mr. Nolan didn’t make it an option.

Taylor did a lazy eye roll and stretched his arms. It seemed as if that was his way of making things more casual than they appeared.

“I don’t think there’s anything to talk about.”

“If you don’t talk to me, I’ll talk to her.” He nodded towards me. Taylor glanced in my direction, seemingly uninterested, but he did start making his way to Mr. Nolan.

“Fine.” He said, walking over to Jerry, waving his hand. To me he said, “I’ll be right back.” They disappeared down the set of stairs and I hopelessly stared after them.

I’d never been one to snoop in my life, to eavesdrop. Curiousity always tugged at me, but I was always able to keep my nose clean. Even in this moment, I held my ground, going back and clutching onto the railing. I uneasily looked over the side as I pondered what in the world Mr. Nolan would have to say to Taylor. No doubt I had something to do with his anger.

I tried to turn my thoughts to other things. I considered my hometown and how in high-school there was always some hot celebrity that every girl was fawning over. Fame was always something that everyone else had wanted. Fame, money, the hot guy…I had never considered any of that. It was never a remote possibility for the fan girls to end up with their obsessions, how could it possibly turn out that I was with Hollywood’s hottest item?

And yet here I was, a piece of coal suddenly pressured into a diamond. How many people in America could recognize my face now? How many people in the world would know my name? I wondered if anyone knew I was up here. If I fell to my death, would people recognize who I was? Would they blame Taylor? Or would they blame Hollywood, my sudden fame causing my fall from grace?

I shook those dark thoughts from my head and heard someone clear their throat behind me.

I turned quickly and saw Taylor as he pulled out my chair. The food was on the table, I wasn’t sure how the waiter had placed our meal without me hearing.

I walked over and sat down in my seat and I eyed Taylor as he took his.

“What’d Mr. Nolan have to say?”

“Just re-warning me that this is a bad idea.” He pointed from himself to me. “And apparently the media has gotten a hold of something new about you.”

“New about me?” I asked flatly. “What would they possibly have on me?”

Taylor took a bite out of his burger and considered my question. I was suddenly cautious of how I looked eating in front of him. I’d always been uncomfortable eating in front of other people. Of course I would order a burger that I had to open my mouth up to make it look like I was swallowing an elephant.

“So, tell me more about your family.” Taylor stuffed a fry in his mouth. So…we are avoiding the issue.

“Well…my mom got a divorce when I was around ten and I haven’t spoken to my Dad since. She remarried when I was thirteen to a great guy and they had my little sister. I’m really close with them all; they’re like my best friends.”

“So you don’t talk to your Dad?”
“No.”

“That…” He said, taking a swig of tea. “Could be a problem.”

“Why?”

“Apparently he’s been going to the media, selling stories about you.”

“
What?
” I almost dropped my glass of water back onto the table. “What has he been saying? What-? What could he possibly…?”

“He has been saying that ever since you were little, he’s known you were going to be a gold digger. That you were the type that would use me. And there was something else…” He considered his burger for a second, deep in thought. “Oh yea, you’d probably try to get pregnant so I wouldn’t leave you.” He took a bite of burger; like this is the stuff he talked about all the time. Like it was the weather or something. “They showed those pictures and videos of us on our date by the way, I looked amazing.” He tilted his head to the side, considering, still chewing. “Actually, I didn’t look amazing. I looked sexy as hell, if you hadn’t already noticed.”

“Taylor, are they are believing this?”

“Oh yea, hook, line, and sinker. I just thought I’d warn you…there’s a media storm brewing and they’re going to try and take you down. Jerry is trying to locate your dad, but it’s proving difficult. Kale, don’t worry, we are going to try to correct this. But the most important of it all…you did hear the part about me looking great in those pictures, right?”

I sat there, unable to believe the father I hadn’t spoken to it almost ten years would do that. But of course, if his drug money was running out, it’d be easy cash for him

“I haven’t even seen the guy since we left.” I whispered in disbelief.

“I’m not saying he’s right.” Taylor said, shaking his head. “I’m just saying that Star Gaze is launching an interview they had with him.”

Anger swarmed up in me, like an angry beehive. I felt it buzzing around and stinging my thoughts. I hadn’t done anything to that man. He had hurt my mom; he didn’t deserve to call me his daughter in front of cameras. Abe was my father; he was the one who raised me right. Maybe a little too late, maybe the scars had already run deep, but he tried.

The thought of scars made me think of my back. I had deep scars running down the length of my back in different directions. I tensed, thinking about them. It’s not like they hurt or anything, but I was never really able to wear a bathing suit comfortably without someone trying to ask what happened to me.

“I’m sorry.” I said, genuinely concerned about Taylor’s representation over the media now. “I can’t believe he’s done this.”

“There’s always one nut who will sell stories to the media. For me, it’s my stepmom. She’s always trying to secretly put stuff out there about me for extra cash.”

“What’s your stepmom like?”

“You know those really nice stepmothers that take you in and raise you as their own?”

“Yea?”

“Yeap, no. It wasn’t like that at all.” I was getting used to him popping the p’s. He sat back in his chair, finished with his dinner. I glanced at mine, seeing I hadn’t made it halfway through my meal. “She’s all proper and formal, but she’s a rat.”

“What about your dad?”

“He’s a good guy, just did what he thought would be best for me. I can’t stand him, to be honest. He’s a really judgmental guy. He started me early and now I’m set for life as far as my career is concerned. He pushed me too hard. My mom divorced him when he kept shoving me into movies. She wanted me to have a childhood; he wanted me to have a career. So they divorced, both got remarried. My mom married this gamer, Cal, from New York. Of course my dad married my stepmom, Gladys. I didn’t want either of them to be my ‘step’ anything. My mom didn’t force me to accept Cal as my stepdad, but my dad made Gladys my stepmom despite what I wanted.”

“You talk to your mom a lot?”

“Yea, I do. I try to talk to her a lot since she misses me. Dad has his new kids, so he’s pretty busy.”

“He has three kids?”

“I have three half siblings, yes. They’re ten, eight, and five. Jonathan Junior, we call him J.J. Then there’s Nathan, then Clara.”

“So two brothers and one sister?”

“Two
half
brothers and one
half
sister.”

“Ok, half then.”
“Yea, and not the better half.”

“Is your Dad trying to get them into Hollywood?”
“No. He doesn’t want that life for them. Not that Gladys would let him, anyway.”

“Do you see them much?”

“Not really, I try to avoid them as much as possibly can. I mean, holidays and stuff I can’t really avoid. That’s difficult to split between my families. If I go to my dad’s, I get to see them fawn over their kids the whole time. If I go to my mom’s…all she does is fuss over me.”

“And you don’t like either of those options?”

“Not really,” He examined his fingernails. “My mom keeps a close tie to my personal life, while my dad keeps a close tie to my business life. My mom is excited that I’m dating someone.” He stopped to wink at me. “She wants to meet you, actually.” He watched my expression cautiously for a moment. “And my dad is excited I’m getting publicity for this, despite what Jerry thinks.”

Taylor crossed his arms and kept his gaze on me as I tried to find anything and everything else interesting. The railing, the table, even the sky, but every time my eyes came back to his, they were still there, watching.