Star of His Heart (2 page)

There was a knock on the trailer door, followed by a turn of the knob. Rachel fought to keep the frown off her face when Paige stuck her head in. The twenty-four-year-old woman had gotten hired during the middle of the first season. For some reason they had rubbed each other the wrong way that first day and things hadn't improved since. Rachel still didn't know the reason Paige disliked her, but figured it had to do with Rachel's amicable relationship with Frasier and John.

“So you're here,” Paige said in a voice that for some reason gave Rachel the feeling Paige wished she wasn't.

Determined to present a friendly facade despite Paige's funky attitude, she smiled and said, “Yes, I'm here. Was there something you wanted?”

“Frasier wants to go ahead and shoot the next scene as soon as lunch is over, which means you need to get started on this guy right away.”

Paige came inside the trailer, followed by the hunky and sexy Ethan Chambers. The moment Rachel's gaze clashed with those blue-gray eyes of his, she knew
for the first time in her life how it felt to be totally mesmerized. And nothing could have prepared her for her hormones suddenly igniting into something akin to mind-blowing lust.

S
o this was where his sexy pixie had gone to, Ethan thought, entering the trailer and glancing around. He pretended interest in everything inside the trailer except for the woman who'd been in the back of his mind since he'd first seen her that morning. And now here she was.

“Rachel, this is Ethan Chambers and starting this season he'll be a regular on the show as Dr. Tyrell Perry. Ethan, this is Rachel Wellesley, the makeup artist for the show. She's the wardrobe designer as well.”

Again Ethan picked up a bit of scorn in Paige's voice, although she had a smile plastered on her face. But then it was evident her smile was only for him.

He crossed the room and extended his hand. “Nice meeting you, Rachel.”

“Ditto, Ethan. Welcome to
Paging the Doctor.
”

The moment she placed her hand in his he was tempted to bring it to his lips, something he had gotten used to doing while living abroad in France. And when she smiled up at him the temptation increased. She had such a pretty smile.

“John wants him ready for his scene in thirty minutes. I'll be back to get him, so make sure he's on time.”

Both Ethan and Rachel glanced over at Paige and watched as she exited the trailer, leaving them alone. Ethan returned his gaze to Rachel once again and couldn't help asking, “What's got her panties in a wad?”

 

Rachel couldn't help the laughter that flowed from her mouth, and when he joined in, she knew immediately she was going to like this guy. But then, what wasn't there to like?

Up close, Ethan Chambers was even more handsome than he had been across the room earlier. With him on the show, this would be a pretty good season. She couldn't wait to see them shoot his scene.

She finally answered him. “I have no idea,” she said. “But we won't worry ourselves about it. My job is to get you ready for your scene.”

“But what about your lunch? Shouldn't you be eating something?”

“I should be asking you the same thing, but to answer
your question, usually I bring lunch from home and eat while taking care of business matters,” she said, thinking about the order she had downloaded off her iPhone.
Libby's,
an art gallery in Atlanta, had just requested several of her paintings to display.

He nodded. “I'm too nervous to eat so I asked if I could go ahead and get the makeup part taken care of. I apologize if I'm infringing on your time.”

She waved off his words. “You're not, so just go ahead and take the chair while I pull your file.”

“My file?”

“Yes. Sorry, I can be anal when it comes to being organized, but there's no other way to work with Frasier and John. I have a file of all the scenes you'll be doing today, what you'll need to wear and the extent of lighting needed for that particular shot, although the latter is definitely changeable on the set. That gives me an idea of what kind of makeup I need to apply.”

She tried not to notice how he slid into the chair; specifically, how his muscular thighs straddled it before his perfectly shaped backside came in contact with the cushioned seat. She grabbed the folder off the rack and tried to ignore the dark hair that dusted his muscular arms. However, something caught her attention. A tattoo of a cluster of purple grapes draped above his wrist.

“Grapes?” she asked, meeting his gaze and finding it difficult to breathe while looking into his eyes.

“Yes. It's there to remind me of home.”

“Home?” she echoed, breaking eye contact to reach over and hand him a smock to put on.

“Yes. Napa Valley.”

She recalled the time she'd visited the area years ago as part of a high school field trip. “I've been to Napa Valley once. It's beautiful.”

“Yes, it is. I hated leaving it,” he said after putting on the smock.

She glanced over and met those killer eyes again. “Then why did you?”

He would be justified to tell her it wasn't her business, she quickly thought, but for some reason she knew he wouldn't do that. They had met just moments ago, but she felt she knew him, or knew men like him. No, she corrected herself. She didn't know any man like him, and how she could say that with such certainty, she wasn't sure.

“I left to pursue my dream. Unfortunately, it wasn't connected to my family business,” he said.

Now that she understood. Her sister and uncle always thought she would join them in the family business, but she hadn't. Limelight Entertainment Management had been founded by her father, John Wellesley, and his brother Jacob. It had been the dream they shared and made into reality, with the purpose of representing and building the careers of African American actors during a time when there were many prejudices in Hollywood. Today the company was still very highly respected and had helped many well-known stars jumpstart their careers.

“It's a nice tattoo, but I'll need to use some cream to completely cover it for the shoot. Dr. Perry doesn't have
a tattoo,” she explained, pressing a button that eased the chair into a reclining position

“That's no problem. Do whatever you have to do, Rachel.”

It wasn't what he'd said but how he'd said it that sent sensuous chills coursing through her. For a timeless moment, they stared at each other as heat flooded her in a way it never had before. As the flames of awareness licked at her body, somehow a part of her—the sensible part—remained unscathed. In a nagging voice it reminded her that she needed to get back on track and prep Ethan for his scene.

She swallowed and broke eye contact with him again as she turned to reach for her makeup kit. “Comfortable?”

“Yes.”

“Then why are you so nervous?” she decided to ask him while checking different tubes of makeup cream for one that would work with his complexion and skin type. It was August, and although the air conditioner on the set would be on full blast, all the lighting being used would generate heat. She needed to prevent any facial shiny spots from showing up on camera.

He shifted in his seat and she glanced over at him. “This is the first day on the job of what I see as my big break,” he said, straightening in the chair. “This is what I've worked my ass off for since the day I decided acting was what I wanted to do. I've done small parts in theater and guest spots on a couple of shows and was even an
extra on
Avatar,
but being here, getting this opportunity, is a dream come true.”

She nodded, knowing just how he felt. She had wanted to step out on her own without any help from her family's name. She had submitted her résumé to Glenn Productions and had gotten called in for an interview with both Frasier and John. Although Frasier had been a friend of her father's, and both men were well acquainted with Sofia since she was Uncle Jacob's partner in the family business, Rachel was convinced she had been given the job on her own merits and hadn't been given any preferential treatment.

This was her second season on the show and she worked doubly hard to make sure Frasier and John never regretted their decision to give her a chance. So, yes, she knew all about dreams coming true.

The first thing she thought as she applied a light brush to Ethan's face was that he had flawless skin with a healthy glow. He had perfect bone structure and his lips were shapely and full. She bent toward him to gently brush his brows and was glad he had closed his eyes since crazy things were going on in the pit of her stomach. A tightness was there that had never been there before. She drew in a deep breath to relieve the pressure. His aftershave smelled good. Almost too good for her peace of mind.

“So tell me, Rachel, what's your dream?”

She smiled. “What makes you think I have one?”

“All women do.”

She chuckled. “Sounds like you think you know us pretty well.”

“I wouldn't say that, but I would think everyone has at least one dream they would love to see come true.”

“I agree, and this is mine—being a makeup artist and wardrobe designer.”

“You're good at it. Very professional.”

He opened his eyes to meet hers and she was aroused in a way that just wasn't acceptable, especially for a woman who made it her motto never to mix business with pleasure.

“Thanks,” she said, taking a step back and reaching over to grab a hand mirror to give to him. “You didn't need much. I don't believe in being heavy-handed with makeup.”

“I can appreciate that.”

She had made up enough men in her day to know if they had a choice they would gladly skip this part in preparing for their scene. “Now for that tattoo. I have just the thing to blend in with your skin tone that won't rub off. And later you can wash it off.”

“Okay.”

He held out his arm and she began applying the cream. Against her fingertips, his skin felt warm, slowly sending her body into meltdown. She could feel his eyes on her but refused to glance up and look at him for fear that he would know what touching him was doing to her. Instead she tried concentrating on what she was doing. This time, though, she was too distracted by other things, such as the feel of his strong veins beneath
her fingers and the rapid beat of his pulse. Her body responded with a raging flood of desire that seeped into her bones.

Not being able to resist temptation any longer, she looked over at him. For a long, achingly seductive moment, they stared at each other. She wanted to look away but it was as if he controlled the movement of her neck and it refused to budge. She swallowed the panic she felt lodged in her throat as she slowly released his hand. So much for being a firm believer in the separation of business and pleasure. For a moment, no matter how brief, thoughts had filled her mind about how it would be to take her hand and rub it down his chest and then move her hand even lower to—

There was a quick knock at the door before it opened and Paige walked in. And for the first time ever, Rachel was glad to see the woman.

“I
f he's as hot as you say he is, then maybe you should let him know you might be interested, Rachel.”

Rachel wiped paint from her hands as she glared at the phone. If her best friend since elementary school wasn't there in person to see her frown, transmitting it through the speakerphone was the next best thing. “I'm not interested.”

And because she knew Charlene would belabor the point, she went on the defensive and said, “Look, Cha, I thought you of all people would understand. You know I don't like mixing business with pleasure. Besides, I have plenty of work to do.”

Charlene laughed. “You always have plenty of work to do. If becoming involved with a man is a way to slow
you down, then I'm all for it. It's time you started having fun.”

Rachel rolled her eyes. “I could say the same for you.”

“Face it. Men aren't drawn to me like they are to you.”

Rachel pulled in a deep breath knowing there was no use telling Charlene just how wrong she was. Her words would go in one ear and out the other. For once she wished Charlene would be the one to face it and see that she was beautiful and sexy.

Charlene had to be the kindest and sweetest person Rachel knew, but she always slid to the background when it came to dating and romance. Rachel blamed Charlene's parents, since they always thought their older daughter, Candis, was the “pretty one” and had always put her in the limelight. As far as Rachel was concerned, Charlene had a lot going for her, including a beautiful singing voice.

“I'm in no mood to argue with you, Cha. You know how mad I get when you put yourself down.”

“I'm not putting myself down. I'm just stating facts.”

“Then let me state a few of my own,” Rachel said. “I'm the one on set every day surrounded by gorgeous men. The only problem is that those men are checking out the tall, slender actresses, not me.”

When Charlene didn't say anything, Rachel had a feeling there was more going on with her friend. “Okay, Cha, what's wrong?”

There was another long moment before Charlene replied, “I talked to Mom today.”

Rachel slumped down into a chair. Mrs. Quinn was the mom from hell, and that was putting it kindly. She'd always managed to boost one daughter up while at the same time tearing the other one down. “And?”

“And she wanted me to know that Candis made the cut for the
Sports Illustrated
swimsuit edition next year and will be staying in Paris for a while.”

“That's great, and I'm sure you're happy for her.” Rachel knew she could say that because deep down she knew Charlene was. Candis and Charlene had a rather good relationship despite the competitive atmosphere created by their mother.

“Yes, of course I'm happy for her.”

“And?”

“And what?” Charlene asked.

Rachel pulled in a deep breath; her patience was wearing thin. “And what else did Mrs. Quinn say?”

“Just the usual about she still doesn't understand how Candis could be so pretty and me so plain when we had the same parents. She ended the call by even suggesting that maybe she and Dad got the wrong baby from the hospital. She said it in a joking way but I knew she was dead serious.”

Rachel bet the woman had been dead serious as well, but she would never tell Charlene that. That was the kind of garbage she'd had to put up with all her life. “She wasn't serious, Cha. You and your mother look too much alike for you to be anyone's baby but hers.”

Evidently Mrs. Quinn never took the time to notice the similarity. Or maybe she
had
noticed and since she'd never been happy with her own looks, she was passing her insecurities on to Charlene.

Rachel thought about her own situation. She had been raised by her uncle Jacob and her aunt Lily after her parents had been killed. Rachel had been only one year old and Sofia had been ten. Her aunt and uncle were wonderful and had raised her and Sofia as their own children, since unfortunately they'd never had any. The one thing Uncle Jacob and Aunt Lily didn't do was play her and Sofia against each other. Everyone knew that Sofia wanted to follow in their father's footsteps and take his place with Uncle Jacob at Limelight.

Although her uncle and sister would have loved for her to join them in the family business, Rachel had never been pressured to do so. She chuckled, thinking it was enough to have Sofia as her agent.

“Hey, let's do a movie this weekend,” she suggested, thinking her best friend needed some chilling time.

“Sounds super, but don't you have a lot to do?”

Rachel laughed. “I always have a lot to do, but I need a break to have fun, and it sounds like you do, too.”

A short while later, Rachel made her way to the kitchen, hungry after missing lunch. On the way home she had stopped by a restaurant owned by one of the cameramen's parents. She considered Jack Botticello her buddy, and his parents were truly a godsend. Whenever she dropped by their Italian restaurant, Botticello's Place, for takeout, they always gave her more food than she
could possibly eat in one sitting. There would definitely be enough lasagna left for tomorrow's dinner.

As she sat down at the table to enjoy her meal, she recalled everything that had happened on the set that day, especially the scenes that included Ethan Chambers. She couldn't help but remember the moment he had walked into a patient's hospital room. To say he swaggered into the room would probably be more accurate. And when he began speaking in what was supposed to be a northern accent, all eyes and ears were on him. There was no doubt in her mind he was a gifted actor. It was as if the part of Dr. Tyrell Perry had been created just for him.

She couldn't wait for the airing of the show in a few weeks to see how he would be received by the viewing audience. It would probably be no different than the way he'd been received on the set. Women were all but falling at his feet, doing just about anything to get his attention.

He had mentioned to a member of the camera crew in between scenes that he was going to get a cup of coffee. The three women who'd overheard him had all but broken their necks racing across the room to the coffee cart to get it for him. She could tell he'd actually gotten embarrassed by their antics. That surprised her. Most men would be gloating about all the attention. But then, this had been his first day on the job. There was no doubt in her mind that eventually his media-hungry playboy tendencies would come out. It was only a matter of time.

Unbidden, the memories surfaced of what had happened during their makeup session that day. Had he deliberately tried to unnerve her? Break down her defenses so she would behave the way Tina, Cindy and Nina had done today with the coffee incident? It wouldn't surprise her to discover he was just as superficial as all the other playboys in Hollywood. And to think for a short while today she'd actually been attracted to him. But with his make-you-drool looks, the attraction couldn't be helped. It had a way of vamping your senses the first time around.

And his family had money. He'd mentioned his roots were in Napa Valley, but it was only later that day when she'd overheard some of the camera crew talking about how wealthy he already was that she realized he was one of
those
Chamberses. There were two African American families whose roots and vast financial empires were in Napa Valley. The Russells and the Chamberses. Both families' vineyards were known to produce some of wine tasters' finest.

So, okay, she had let her guard down and let herself be affected by him. But tomorrow would be better. She had gotten used to him and would be more in control.

With that resolved, she proceeded to finish her meal.

 

“Do you promise, Uncle Ethan?”

Ethan couldn't help but smile. “Yes, I promise.”

“Truly?”

“Yes, truly.”

His six-year-old niece, Kendra, had him wrapped around her finger and probably knew it, he thought. When his parents had mentioned to her that Los Angeles was close to Disneyland, she had begun asking him questions. Mainly she wanted to know if he'd seen any princesses.

Just to hear her voice was a sheer delight because Kendra hadn't done much talking since her mother had died three years ago in a car accident. She had pretty much been withdrawn and quiet much of the time. But she would always talk to her Uncle Ethan.

“Daddy wants to talk to you, Uncle Ethan.”

“Okay, sweetheart, and always remember you're Uncle Ethan's cupcake.”

“I remember. Nighty-night.”

He then heard her hand the phone over to his brother, Hunter, after telling her daddy nighty-night, too and after exchanging an “I love you” and an “I love you back.” It was only then that Hunter placed the phone to his ear. “What's going on, kid?”

Ethan couldn't help but chuckle. There was an eight year difference in their ages, and Hunter never let him forget it. But even with that big variation, they'd always gotten along. Like all brothers, they'd had their disagreements, but they'd never lasted more than a few hours. Except for that one time a few years ago when Hunter had tried pressuring him into staying in the family business and getting all those ideas out of his head about making it big in Hollywood.

Ethan had left home anyway to pursue his dream.
It was only after the fatal car accident that claimed Hunter's wife's life—an accident that Hunter and Kendra had survived—that Hunter had understood why Ethan had to do what he did. He'd learned that life was too precious and fleeting to take for granted. Tomorrow wasn't promised to anyone.

“Nothing much is going on. Kendra talked a lot tonight,” he said.

“Only because it's you. She loves her uncle Ethan. Besides, she wanted to ask you all about princesses.”

Ethan grinned. “Yeah, I noticed. What's up with that?”

“
The Princess and the Frog.
She's seen it five times already. I should blame you since you're the one who got her the DVD as soon as it went on sale.”

“Hey, there's nothing I wouldn't do for my cupcake,” he said, meaning it.

He talked to Hunter for a few minutes longer before his brother passed the phone to their folks. In addition to the winery, Hunter and his parents ran a small four-star bed-and-breakfast on the property. It was always good to call home because he truly missed everyone, and updates were priceless.

“And you're eating properly, Ethan?”

He cringed at his mother's question, knowing he would have to tell her a little white lie, especially when at that very moment the timer went off to let him know his microwave dinner was ready. He had a beer to drink and his dessert would be a bag of peanut M&M's he'd grabbed out of the vending machine when he'd left the
studio today. Paige had invited him to her place for dinner but he had declined.

He removed his dinner from the microwave and said, “Yes, Mom, I'm eating properly.”

“Met any nice girls you want to bring home?”

She has to be kidding.
The last few girls he dated weren't any he would dare bring home for his parents, brother and niece to meet. But then the face of his sexy pixie flashed across his mind and he couldn't help but think that she would work. For some reason he liked her, and the sexual vibes between them hadn't gone unnoticed, although it was evident she'd tried ignoring them.

Besides, he didn't have time to meet girls—nice or any other kind. He had lines to study every night, especially tonight. Frasier had been impressed with him today and had added another scene to his schedule for tomorrow.

“No, Mom, so don't go planning a wedding for me yet.”

Later that night when he slid into bed, he couldn't help but think just how blessed he was. Both of his parents were alive and in good health. As the oldest son, Hunter had taken on his role with ease and was the perfect businessman to manage the family's vast wealth. And Hunter had had the insight to utilize the property surrounding the winery to build the bed-and-breakfast, which was doing extremely well. The reservation list was always filled up a year in advance.

As much as he'd loved Napa Valley, Ethan had
known it wasn't in his blood to the extent it had been in Hunter's. After college, he returned home and tried working alongside Hunter and his parents, but he hadn't been happy. Hunter had said it was wanderlust and that eventually he would get over it, but he never did. A year later he had made up his mind to pursue his dream.

So here he was, living in a nice place in L.A. and building the career he'd always wanted. Money was no object, thanks to a trust fund that had been set up by his grandparents as well as the financial standing of the winery, in which he was a stockholder. Of course, every once in a while some smart-ass reporter would ask him why an independently wealthy person would want to work. He was sure Anderson Cooper was asked the same question often enough, too. Ethan wasn't privy to Anderson's response, but his was simply, “Wealthy or poor, everyone has dreams, and there
is
such a thing as continued money growth.”

He reached over to turn off the lamp light, thinking that things had gone better than he'd expected on the set today. His lines had flowed easily, and for a while he had stepped into the role of Dr. Tyrell Perry. To prepare, he had watched medical movies and had volunteered his time at a hospital for ninety days. He had come away with an even greater respect for those in the medical industry.

As he stared up at the ceiling his thoughts shifted to the woman he'd met that day, Rachel Wellesley. There had been something about her that pulled her to him like a magnet. Something about her that he found totally
adorable. Even among the sea of model-type women on the set, she had somehow stood out.

And when she had leaned over him to apply whatever it was she brushed on his face, he had inhaled her scent. With his eyes closed, he had breathed it all in while imagining all sorts of things. It was a soft scent, yet it had been hot enough to enflame his senses.