The Hills Party (The Hollywood Twins #1) (7 page)

"Very," Kyle replied.

Although he and Hanna had gotten off to a rocky start, things seemed to be going better now, but he could always count on her to get into some kind of drama. Rachel on the other hand was very down to earth. She took everything in stride, and never let anything get her too wound up. She was gorgeous, with the intellect to match. He felt like he had hit the jackpot, so if he had to deal with some of Hanna's drama, it was more than worth the tradeoff.

"I am so excited about your movie," Rachel said as they continued to lightly caress one another. "Aren't you?"

Kyle grimaced a little. He was usually very confident, but when it came to millions of people seeing his image across a huge screen, he had to admit that he was a little nervous.

"More like terrified," he sighed and kissed her forehead softly. "Although I am glad that we will get a little more time together."
 

Rachel nodded; she was looking forward to it too. She knew that he would be occupied with some of the media promotions he would have to do, but at least she would not have to share him with an entire movie crew anymore, and perhaps they could make some plans.

"I was thinking," Kyle said as he sat up slightly and drew her across him so that he could run his fingers through her hair. "I'd like to take a trip to Europe before all the crazy promotion work start."

Rachel bit into her bottom lip. She had hoped he would want to stick around for a little while.

"Well, you deserve it," she said carefully. "You've been working so hard."

Kyle laughed and looked down at her. "I meant with you Rachel, I'm not going to leave you here for all these Hollywood hotshots."

"Excuse me?" Rachel raised an eyebrow. "You're the only Hollywood hot shot I am interested in."

Kyle held her gaze as she smiled up at him, his own expression becoming serious.

"I mean it Rachel, I want you to come with me, we could explore Europe, have a great time," he searched her gaze, hoping she would agree.

"Oh wow," Rachel cleared her throat as she sat up and reached for her shirt which had been tossed aside in the midst of their passionate stumble from the door of the apartment. "Well that's very sweet," she said as Kyle tried to tug her shirt free before she could pull it all the way down. "But that's not really something I can afford," she laughed as she swatted at his hands.

"It's my treat," he said quickly and leaned forward to wrap his arms around her waist, lest she attempt to escape him.

"No way, you need to save your money," Rachel insisted, and allowed her body to fall back against his toned chest. "When you're a rich and famous movie star you can take me to Europe," she grinned and kissed his cheek softly. "It's just not something I can do right now. Besides, I could never leave Hanna alone here." She shuddered at the thought.

Kyle groaned at her words. "She is a grown woman Rachel, she can take care of herself."

Rachel shook her head firmly. "Oh no, she might be a grown woman, but she is a walking disaster without me around. The one time I left her here alone, she had a party that lasted two days and nearly destroyed the apartment."

Kyle chuckled and nodded his head. "Sounds like Hanna. But really Rachel, I think she could handle it."

Rachel smirked faintly as she knew that Hanna could certainly handle it. She would handle it right into the craziest party she had ever thrown.

“So we could take her along,” Kyle suggested when he noticed he was not getting anywhere.

“No,” Rachel said firmly. “It's really sweet of you to offer, but it's too much money, and just not something we could do right now.”

Kyle sat back against the couch and sighed as Rachel stood and collected the rest of her clothing. He admired her as she headed for the shower, and then decided to follow her.

     
     
“Hey, I was hoping you would join me,” Rachel said invitingly as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him slowly in the shower.

Chapter 2

The line in front of the club was long, packed with people who had shown up for the best Friday night they could have. The Garage was one of the hottest new venues in Hollywood and even the best of the best had to wait in line to get in. When Hanna got the call for this gig, she was thrilled that she would play on the most popular night of the week, a sure sign that she was on her way to success.
 
It was true that lately her jobs had been in some of the better clubs, but there were not enough paying gigs coming in and certainly not at the big high paying venues just yet. With money being so tight, she was beginning to have doubts. Maybe she had made a mistake embarking on such a risky business venture as being a DJ, but she loved her career and desperately wanted to live out her dreams. It was just that every time Rachel had to cover the majority of the rent, Hanna felt a sharp pang of guilt. Of course, Rachel, who was the one lying awake at night worrying about paying the bills, never let her forget who was carrying the brunt of the rent. What was Hanna to do? Most of her money went to expensive equipment plus she had to buy all the music she played in her sets. Her intentions were good and she had promised Rachel that after her startup expenses were paid, she could pay her half of all the bills.
 

The day the manager of The Garage had called, Hanna was slumped over the kitchen table, her chin in her hand, staring at the pile of bills Rachel had left, with a big yellow sticky note that had written in black marker, “NEED TO PAY!”.
 
She was in a real funk but suddenly one phone call and she was back on cloud nine again, doing the happy dance all around her kitchen. Apparently someone from the swanky big house party up in the Hill, where she had worked recently, passed her name to the club manager. Good fortune was finally coming her way and soon she would be living in the hall of fame.

After unloading the equipment from her Jeep, Hanna set up her laptop and the controllers as she started queuing up the songs she was going to play. She was ready for the throngs of girls in tight dresses and shoes with heels a mile high, straining at the door. It was almost time for the doors to open. Hanna gave an affirmative nod to the manager across the room. She was fired up on adrenalin, excited to show the manager her talent. Hanna knew there was a lot riding on this job. She knew that this gig, and every gig for that matter, was a stepping stone to more popularity and more income.

Her confidence was shining tonight.
 
She skillfully worked the computer program for the music and intuitively picked songs that reflected the mood of the dance crowd. Wherever she played, they seemed to respond to her style, the way she blended the music and people into one pulsing, throbbing ball of energy on the dance floor and as long as they were dancing, Hanna knew she was successful.
   

The stern looking bouncer at the door finally released his arm, and the first of the giddy high heeled girls poured into the club, trailed by ogling guys with sharp haircuts. With a flick of her wrist, Hanna cranked the music up to eleven, the pounding based reverberating around the room. Hanna smiled a huge grin as the crowd spilled onto the dance floor catching the beat of her tunes. She couldn’t help herself and picked up the rhythm, gyrating to the music as best she could while still working the equipment in her DJ booth on the stage.

Hanna loved to think that she brought enjoyment to people through her passion for music. Although she did not play an instrument, she had a good ear for matching which songs and beats worked well together and that was when she realized that being a DJ was her calling in life.

The music was thumping, hot sweaty bodies pulled in unison on the dance floor, in the aisles and everywhere, while red and indigo blue lights cast everyone in a dark crimson glow.

“Wow, great song, who is it?”

Hanna peered over her equipment to see the handsome face of a tall young stud who had approached her on the DJ stage. She could tell that he was hitting on her and smiled to herself. She didn’t mind, actually her long black hair and sexy outfits were part of the reason she was getting gigs. Her “look” was the window dressing, all part of her hip party style and Hanna knew how to use it to her advantage. She was keenly aware that it attracted the guys, like bees to honey. She would usually just play along for a short while and then get back to the music.

“It’s Kesha, Die Young,” she casually replied.

“Really? It’s doesn’t sound like the same song as on the radio.”

“No, this is a dance remix. I always play the remix versions as they are more danceable,” Hanna explained and turned her attention back to the computer as the next song had to be mixed in.

“Cool. I didn’t know. I’ve never heard that version before.” When Hanna didn’t respond back, he soon gave up hope of getting any further in his attempt, and went down to continue partying with his friends, who were high fiving him for making the bold move to approach the hot DJ.

Before every gig, Hanna would prepare for her performance, by searching out the best remixes of popular songs. It had become her trademark. She enjoyed these versions tremendously and lately was inspired to create remixes of her own. Using a program on her computer called Garage Band, she experimented with different beats and sounds. At first it was just for fun, but she quickly found that she had a knack for it. She had even mixed one of her favorite new songs "Broken Down" by a young, up and coming artist, Kimberly Cole. The song was already a small hit on the radio and she was about to follow it up with a complete album. Hanna loved the song and Kimberly’s voice. It was one of the best songs she had heard in quite some time. She really liked the remix she had created of the song, and although she had never dared to let anyone else listen to it, tonight was different. Tonight she was playing at one of the most popular clubs in Hollywood and the crowd was really enjoying the tracks she was pumping out through the speakers. So she decided that she would take a chance and play it for the first time.

As the latest Will I Am/Britney Spears track was near it’s end, she flawlessly mixed in her version of "Broken Down". She had found the perfect house beat that didn't drown out the lyrics of the song, but enhanced the melody behind it. It didn’t take long before the crowd got behind it, grinding to the beat. Her heart was racing as she listened to the sounds of her own creation pounding out through the speakers, and watched people actually dancing to it. It was something she had never expected to see, and honestly it made her feel proud.

Hanna knew she was a beautiful woman, with her long black hair and bright blue eyes. She had an amazing figure, and wore the latest fashions to compliment it, but beneath all of the perfect makeup and sly attitude, she had a good amount of insecurity when it came to her real passion in life, her own music. Tonight was making her feel differently for the first time. Finally the business she had created was more than a hobby, it was actually a talent that could make her shine.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice that rose over the loud music to reach Hanna's ears. The young man who sidled up to the stage was dressed in a fine suit, and seemed to be the type that would be looking for a celebrity, not a club DJ. Hanna leaned down a bit so she could hear his words when he called up to her.

"That's a great remix of the song," he shouted as he leaned forward against the stage and gazed up at her with genuine interest. Hanna noticed his dark brown eyes first, and his handsome features second. His light brown hair was combed carefully and the way the short cut fell accentuated the strength of his cheekbones perfectly. He seemed a little puzzled. "How come I've never heard it before?" he asked quirking one thick brow.