Rising Star (15 page)

“
No,” Paul said quickly. “I
just need a friend right now, Selena. Not a kid sister.” He dropped
down onto the edge of her bed and opened a beer. Selena pulled up a
chair and sat in it, facing him. Paul offered her a beer, and
Selena opened it, barely sipping at it.

“
It’s getting pretty late,”
she hinted. “I was just going to bed.”

“
I’m just all broken up
inside,” Paul said, ignoring Selena’s hint. “I really thought she
was the one.”

Selena saw a single tear roll down his face
and she felt like a heel for her cold attitude. But really, what
should she have done? She certainly didn’t want to give him the
wrong impression. But she moved to the edge of the bed and put her
arms around him, his apparent pain tugging at her heart. Paul put
his head on her shoulder and held on like a drowning man.

Selena rubbed his back as she consoled him.
Poor guy, she was thinking. He must have really cared for her.

Paul sat back finally and looked into her
eyes, leaving one arm draped across her shoulder. “Why couldn’t she
have been more like you, Selena? I think Matt is a very lucky guy
to have snagged you up. You’re sweet, sexy
and
you have a
good heart.”

Before she could answer, Paul leaned toward
her, his mouth dipping down to hers. Selena didn’t realize what was
happening until his lips touched hers. She leaped back, jumping off
the bed and backing away. “I think you should go now, Paul.”

“
I’m sorry Selena, I just
got carried away. I guess I was just trying to forget my pain in
your arms.” He stood up, wobbling slightly as he walked to the
door. Selena didn’t realize her belt had come untied and her robe
had fallen open. Paul turned and leered at her as he opened the
door, his eyes traveling down her body where the robe had
opened.

Selena had followed him to the door with
every intention of turning the deadbolt behind him.

As he held the door open and looked back at
her, a flashbulb popped in her eyes. A burly man with a
camera—paparazzi—she assumed, was standing just outside her door
and the flash exploded again as she pushed Paul into the hallway
and closed the door quickly. “I’m sorry Selena,” Paul was saying as
she shut the door on both of them.

Selena climbed angrily into her bed, her
thoughts a jumble of confusion. Why had Paul come to her? He had
certainly never mentioned a girlfriend before. And why had he tried
to kiss her? Sure, she had kissed him onstage several times, but
that was different. That was work, with a crowd of people around.
She brushed her hand angrily across her mouth as she thought about
it. Yet, angry as she felt, the kiss had excited her too. The
chemistry she’d felt between them was undeniable in his kiss and
she knew Paul felt it too. Maybe that’s why he’d come to her. Maybe
he was attracted to her. She tossed angrily in her bed as she tried
to sleep, and when sleep finally came, she dreamed of starring in a
movie, the male lead slowly turning her face up for a kiss. But it
was Matt’s face she saw, not Paul’s, and the kiss was electric, not
some Hollywood crush, but a real kiss between lovers.

Paul seemed back to his usual self the
following day. He laughed and joked with Selena as if nothing had
happened. She had to wonder if he was hiding his pain or had he
made the whole thing up to get in her room. He took both her and
Jennifer to dinner and he laughed and joked as usual, but Selena
thought she saw a sad, almost haunted look to his eyes. She was
sure he was suffering and she felt bad for him. She silently
forgave him for his bad behavior of the night before. She felt sure
he was only seeking comfort in her arms to forget the pain Sarah
had caused him. She declined his offer, however, to buy some beer
and hang out with the two of them in the hotel. She said she was
expecting a call from Matt in a few minutes. She could feel Paul’s
eyes on her as she walked away. He does have the hots for me, she
thought, her heartbeat accelerating. It was definitely flattering.
It
was
Paul James, after all. She thought about the millions
of teenage girls across the country that would love to have Paul
James even look at them, and here she was, pushing him away. She
shook her head, brushing the thought away. No, she was crazy about
Matt—she wished he were here right now, not Paul James. She
pictured Matt’s blue, blue eyes as she took the elevator to her
room. She was just lucky Matt had even noticed her—any guy with his
looks, and all his fans—oh, why couldn’t he hurry up and get
here.

Thoughts of Matt had caused her to forget
Paul James entirely by the time she reached her room. She sat down
with her laptop and picked up on her story where she’d left off,
visions of Matt still dancing before her eyes.

She hadn’t actually heard from Matt for a
few days and she was hoping he would call. She knew he was super
busy with filming in Toronto, but surely he could find the time for
one quick call, couldn’t he? Maybe he’s found someone else—the
unwelcome thought flew across her mind. No, she told herself.
You’re just being stupid.

She forced her mind into the story she was
working on, typing away until bed time, with still no call from
Matt. She was engrossed in the story and typing away, when once
again there was a tapping at her door. Selena sighed as she set her
laptop down. She was not going to go through this with Paul every
night. No way was she even going to let him come in this time. She
yanked open the door angrily, once again forgetting to don her
bathrobe. But it was Matt’s beautiful face staring down at her, a
happy smile on his face and the mischievous light in his eyes as he
took in her skimpy top. Selena stared in shock for a full minute,
then threw herself into his arms, tears running down her cheeks as
he buried his face in her neck. Finally, she finally had a true
friend nearby, someone she could count on in this harsh, strange
land. She had forgotten how tall he was, as she held onto him
tightly, her arms still around his neck.

Matt finally walked her backwards, closing
the door behind them. He still didn’t speak as he undressed her
slowly and carried her to the bed. He made love to her slowly,
aware of the fact that this was all pretty new to her.

Afterward, he held her in his arms as they
caught up on all that had happened while they’d been apart.
Finally, he asked her about their first night together. “How come
you didn’t tell me you were a virgin?”

Selena felt her face flush as she lay in his
arms. “I don’t know. It all just happened so quick, I guess I
didn’t have a chance.”

Matt laughed softly in the dark. “Well, I’m
glad I was your first. Did you enjoy it?”

Selena rolled over and sat on his chest.
“Enough to do it again,” she whispered huskily.

“
Oh, you’re a little
vixen,” Matt said as he pulled her down to him, her long hair
brushing his chest as they kissed passionately.

Afterward, they lay curled together on the
huge bed, her head on Matt’s chest.

“
How’s the movie going?” he
asked her.

“
Good, I guess,” she said.
“I mean, Don says it’s going great, but it just feels awkward and
disjointed to me.”

Matt chuckled. “Yeah, most people don’t
realize how a movie is really made. Sometimes you’ll shoot the
ending before the beginning.”

“
Yeah, that’s how it’s
been. And no matter how hard I try, I’m just not into it. I don’t
give a crap about their movie.”

Matt chuckled and squeezed her tighter.
“You’ll get used to it, Babe. Just hang in there.”

Matt met the cast for dinner the following
evening after they finished filming. He and Paul were good friends,
but he hadn’t met Jennifer before. He was a welcome part of their
easy camaraderie as they laughed and joked over sodas and pizza.
They looked like two couples out for dinner and Selena held Matt’s
hand under the table. They all smiled and laughed when a
photographer stepped in front of them and snapped their picture.
“Paparazzi,” Matt said, smiling happily at her.

“
I know,” Selena answered.
“You get used to it.”

“
Wow.” Matt’s eyes grew
wide. “I thought that was my line.”

“
It is and you can have it.
I’m still not too crazy about this whole Hollywood scene. I miss my
wide open spaces.”

Matt put his big hand over hers on the table
and squeezed it gently. “I know,” he said softly. “It’s one of the
things I like best about you.”

The other two were forgotten momentarily as
Matt stared deep into her eyes. Indeed, the entire world seemed to
fade away as she lost herself in his intense stare. The traffic
sounds faded away for a minute and the noisy conversations around
them dimmed as she saw the love shining out of his sexy blue eyes.
She even forgot about the paparazzi, who was still snapping
pictures, as she lost herself in Matt’s eyes.

“
Hey, did you two forget
we’re here,” Paul joked, breaking the moment. Selena came back to
earth as the noises filtered through again.

She watched in contentment as Matt joked
with Paul and Jennifer, his charm too much for anyone to resist.
She felt whole now that Matt was here, as if she could take on the
world.

Even though Paul was laughing and joking
with the group, Selena noticed occasionally a sad look cross his
eyes as he stared at her and Matt. She wondered if it was just the
thought of the love he had lost, or was it something more? Was he
really that attracted to her? No, it couldn’t be, she finally
decided. It was ridiculous to think that here she was, a nobody,
from nowhere, and she had two Hollywood movie stars falling for
her. Get real, she shook her head, banishing the thought.

Matt stayed with her in her room, and night
after night she slept peacefully curled in his strong arms. They
could have stayed at his home in the Hills, but her room was only
blocks away from the studio. He even walked her down to the studio
each morning, kissing her before leaving her at the door.

She’d had no more trouble from Paul since
Matt’s arrival. He’d went back to treating Selena on a truly
professional level as they worked together each day. But yet,
Selena would sometimes see a sad look in his eyes, almost a
longing, as he stared at her. It still left her feeling confused;
how could he possibly be interested in her?

She had finished the story she’d been
working on and Matt encouraged her to send it off. “You have to
keep trying,” he reminded her again and again.

“
I will,” Selena said every
time he brought it up, but she kept procrastinating, afraid of
being hurt by more rejection. She allowed Matt to read her story
while she was working. Which was a new one for her—her friends and
family weren’t even aware of her writing—she had certainly never
shared her stories with anyone.

Even though it wasn’t the type of book he
usually read, he found it fascinating. Her plot and her characters
were so well laid out, he felt as if he was walking in their shoes.
He recognized a real talent in her writing and he pushed Selena
even more after he finished it. “It’s really fantastic, Selena. You
have to send it off.” He thought now he understood why she was more
interested in writing than acting.

“
I will. I will,” she
answered each time he brought it up.

“
How many more stories have
you written?”

“
Total? Or just what’s good
enough to publish?”

“
Both.”

“
Well, I’ve been writing
since I was a kid. I have notebooks full of short stories in my
closet. But I have fifteen manuscripts on my computer at home,
several of which are the detective series. I’ve only recently sent
anything to a publisher and it’s been a string of rejection
letters.”

“
Well, you have to keep
trying, Selena. It’s the same with acting. I was waiting tables and
going to auditions, where I was being turned down for every part. I
was just about to give it up and look for a different line of work
when I finally landed a part. The movie turned out to be a success
and…well, I guess you know the rest of the story.”

Selena felt a lot better after he told her
his story. She had never thought of Matt as poor and waiting
tables. It made him seem more human to her and gave her hope for
her own future. “I’ll send it in, I promise,” she told him
again.

The following week, Selena was shocked when
Matt entered her hotel room and threw a magazine on the bed by her.
“What is this, Selena?” She was surprised at his angry tone and she
had no idea what he was talking about. She set her laptop to the
side as she looked at the magazine.

Matt began flipping through pages and
stopped when he came to a picture of her and Paul. It was the
picture the paparazzi had snapped from her hotel room door when she
was trying to push Paul from her room. In the picture, her pajama
pants and tank top were pretty evident, but it looked more as if
she was hugging Paul than pushing him from her room. The caption
almost brought her to tears.

A CAREER JUMPSTART?

It implied there was something going on
between her and Paul. She couldn’t believe they could be so cruel.
She went on to read the lines below the picture.

In a short amount of time,
actress/model Selena Summers has been seen out with Matthew Mason
and now Paul James. Sources have even told this magazine that she
may have been intimate with Don Broward. But everyone has to start
somewhere, right?

Selena felt the tears roll down her cheeks
now as she read the hurtful words. How could they be so mean? The
injustice of it was unbelievable. “Can’t I sue them for defamation
or something?” She asked Matt, sniffing through her tears.