Center Stage (Bright Lights Billionaire #2) (8 page)

Chapter 10

Riley

"What was that all about?" I moved back as Deza walked into the plane, looking less than thrilled to be there.

"Same old shit." She paused and seemed to force the smile that moved across her face. "How are you? Everything go okay with getting away for a few weeks? Your professors weren't assholes about it?"

"Most of them were good to me." I reached over and grabbed her bag as she tried to take it from me. I laughed and walked back to the small, but open space where a handful of leather chairs sat. "Morning, Ethan."

I lifted Deza's bag as he turned and took it from me. "How are you? Ready for us to get this show on the road? Nervous at all?"

"I'm excited. I've been waiting my whole life for something like this, but on a smaller scale." I moved back and dropped down in the seat closest to me.

"You're just going to have to jump from commercials to the big time. It's going to be an adjustment, but you'll love it." Deza sat down on my left and let out a sigh. "We'll be here to help you through it all."

"I'm going to call Frank to see what's taking the old goat so long," Ethan butted in and turned, walking to the front of the plane with a stiffness in his stride that didn't belong there. I prayed like hell that he wasn't pissy. A few wrong comments from him, and I'd be crawling in the pit with him.

Having to try and pinch pennies that morning with Charlotte to pay rent only to come up short had me wanting to lay down in the middle of a busy road.

"I appreciate your support. I think it's time I had a long talk with Darren though. I haven't released him yet, but it's probably better that I do if I'm going to be getting paid soon. He gets a cut of that, and he's honestly not done shit to deserve it." I reached down and buckled my seatbelt as my eyes moved up to covet Ethan's strong back and sexy rear as he hovered near the front of the plane.

The pilot walked out and they shook hands before he had Ethan sign something for his daughter.

"Let's just keep him on the payroll for now. I'll work as your agent, but we'll let him have the benefit of being listed as such. He's going through a hard time." Deza ran her fingers through her long hair. "I shouldn't help him out, but I'm not sure I have a choice."

"Why is that? You still love him?" I pulled my legs into the seat with me and shifted a little to give her my full attention.

"Yeah, I think I do." She shrugged and laid her head on her shoulder. "He's all I knew as a young girl, trying to make something out of myself. He helped me a lot in the beginning and loved me through some really tough stuff. I feel like I almost owe him something back in return."

"What happened to you guys?" It was none of my business and yet I couldn't help but dig a little. I wanted to help bring them back together if it meant both Darren and Deza could find love. It was a fleeting emotion for me, but like anyone with a beating heart, I wanted love to win somewhere in my world. Even if it wasn't directly connected to me.

"We were kids when we got married, and he honestly pulled me up out of a bad situation. I'd gotten into drugs and sleeping around, and his younger brother was my boyfriend at the time. Awkward, I know." She smiled.

"Wow. And was he into that stuff back then too?" I glanced up as the guys huddled at the front. Frank was standing near the cockpit with them, which was a good sign. I had to assume everyone else on the crew was taking a different flight, or was already out there, which wouldn't have surprised me much. There was a ton of work that went into setting up the scenes before we ever stepped foot on the sand.

"No, he graduated with his degree in criminal justice. He was going to be a cop." She let out a shaky sigh as her eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry. So many good memories."

"No, it's okay." I reached out and ran my hand over her arm, squeezing softly. "I love getting to know more about you guys."

"I just wish I'd made some different decisions back then. Once he got me cleaned up, we both found out that we had a love for drama. We would go to plays all the time, and one thing kept emerging that forged our future."

"What was that?" I released her, but leaned in a little.

"The actors in those small independent films were sometimes so much better than the ones in the A-list movies. It was crazy. Getting noticed, as you know, is almost impossible. Darren and I fell in love with this one kid that played most of the lead roles in the community center back in Detroit where we were from, but couldn't catch a break. I don't know, we just came together... the three of us and figured it out. After that, Darren and I picked up and moved here to LA with the guy and started our careers as agents. He was with us until he died in a plane crash on the way to a set." She gave me a look. "Sorry. Maybe I shouldn't have-"

"No, it's fine." I awarded her with a warm smile. "I figure if this thing is going down, there isn't much I can do about it."

"True dat." She laughed. "Anyway, after that, I contracted another big name actor, and because of the hours we were spending together, I fell in love with him. He was good at what he did, if you know what I mean. Acting the part, that is." She glanced down as shame filled her face.

"It's easy to be fooled by someone that doesn't have skills. Someone that does? Impossible to get away unscathed, right?"

"Yes." She wiped at her eyes. "Anyway, I left Darren for him, and when that relationship fell apart a few weeks later, I decided I was working with females of any age or boys only from then on. No more seductive men for me."

She glanced up and smiled as Ethan walked toward us. "This turd was the first one they handed me, and seeing that he's still a kid... I'm safe."

Ethan sat down across the aisle from us and leaned forward to look at Deza. "You'll always be safe with me. Duh."

I chuckled and let myself relax a little more in the presence of the strangers who would soon become like family. I turned my face back toward Deza. "Did Darren not give you another chance?"

"What? You told Riley about you and Darren and you didn't tell me?" Ethan let out a childish sigh, and I chuckled, but kept my eyes on Deza.

"He was heartbroken, as he should have been. We couldn't even look at each other for four or five years, me from shame and him from anger." She shrugged. "Life became a competition after that for a while where we were going after the same performers. After a while, I backed off and mostly focused on Ethan."

"Smart move." Ethan leaned forward, and I turned to let my eyes run over his handsome face.

"I'd say so." I rolled my eyes and leaned back in my seat as the pilot came over the loud speaker and asked for his co-pilot to get in there and Frank to sit down.

I laughed and closed my eyes, letting out a soft sigh.

"You need me to hold your hand?" Ethan's voice was soft, but teasing.

"No," Deza barked and leaned forward as I opened my eyes to see what had gotten into her. "I'll hold her hand. Behave yourself."

I glanced between the two of them. "Something I should know about?"

Frank dropped down on the other side of Ethan and waved at me. "Morning, girls. You excited?"

Ethan shook his head and leaned back. "There's nothing to know. Deza promised to be open-minded about something I wanted to do, but as usual, she lied."

"I'm going to come over there and strangle your scrawny white ass if you don't stop." She leaned across me and swatted at him.

"Okay. Well, things are normal if nothing else." Frank smiled at me over the top of Ethan's head as he swatted at Deza's hand. "This is how they always act. You'll get used to it. They'll kiss and make up shortly. Gotta get the tension out from time to time."

"I see that." I swatted both of their hands away and crossed my arms over my chest as I closed my eyes.

"Did you say you quit your job?" Frank had to be talking to me.

I turned and opened my eyes, realizing that getting a nap was probably out. "Yeah. I quit before the party last week, though I shouldn't have."

"Why not?" Ethan snorted. "You couldn't have made much of anything. It was a waste."

"A waste that paid my bills. I've yet to get my advance on the movie and honestly don't know the timing of anything because my agent isn't really an agent." My tone had darkened a little thanks to the tension in the air.

"Then tell Deza to find out for you. You don't need to concern yourself with silly shit like a restaurant job or school, really. Why are you still trying to graduate? You've done what most people could only dream of doing." He lifted his hands dramatically.

How I could feel like I was falling off the cliff of love with him one minute and wanting to pick up rocks and stone him to death the next was confusing, but it was the truth. He looked so cute in his t-shirt and jeans when he'd walked onto the plane all puffed up. Now there was very little attractive about him as he acted flippantly about my life.

"It might be a matter of principle, Ethan." Frank leaned forward and winked at me. "I'm proud of you for wanting to graduate. It's been a long three years I bet."

"Yes, it has. I want to say I completed the journey. With it only a few months away, I plan to."

"Just don't let it get in the way of your performance. It's not worth that." Ethan crossed his arms over his chest and gave me a cocky look. Was he pissed at me or Deza? Sure felt like his directed aggression was being shifted from her to me.

"I'm aware of that, but being raised in poverty, saying that I have a college degree and knowing that I had to use scholarships to get there is a big deal. Some of us weren't raised on a silver spoon." I shouldn't have, but I couldn't help it.

"Oh, fuck," Deza mumbled beside me.

Had I hit a nerve? Good. I hoped I would. He was being a cock to D and now to me. Frank was up next, no doubt.

Ethan's expression tightened, aging him quickly. Handsome didn't hold a candle to how good he looked in the moment. Something about the way he watched me in his anger unraveled my insides.

I got up from my seat as the plane took off and walked to the back, whispering, "Excuse me."

My hands shook as I pulled down a bottle of whiskey from the cabinet above the flight attendant’s work station. I'd filled up my glass halfway and was working to get ice in the cup when the delicious scent of Ethan's cologne wrapped around me.

"That wasn't fair." His voice was soft as he stood just behind me.

I turned and lifted my glass before taking a quick sip and groaning as it burned its way down my chest.

"Nope, nothing is fair in love and war, right?" I offered him a smile, but he didn't return it.

"I didn't come from a silver spoon. That's a shitty assumption to make." He took my glass, finished the liquor and took a step toward me. "You don't know anything about me. No one does."

"And that is because you refuse to share yourself." I poked my finger into his chest and moved around him. "Maybe you need to work on getting a bigger cock cup."

He snorted and glanced over his shoulder. "Always about my dick."

"I wasn't referring to your dick." I paused and glanced over my shoulder. "I was talking about something big enough to hide your personality when it goes from pleasant to shit in a moment’s notice."

Chapter 11

Ethan

She fell asleep a few minutes later as I sat in the seat next to her, steaming. I was so pissed at Deza for being an ass about me and Riley sharing ourselves with each other. Was it dangerous? Yes, but so was humping the next stranger I ran into when we got off the plane.

Why everyone had to complicate everything was beyond me.

Silver spoon.
Anger burned through me, causing my skin to heat and a slight sheen of sweat to collect at my brow and above my lip. My parents hadn't been around enough for us to have spoons. It was a miracle that Liam and I not only made it out of our childhood alive, but that we made something of ourselves. We were nothing but tools to two money-hungry people with the hope of grandeur and more greed than anyone should have to bear.

"You okay? You're sweating." Frank pressed his shoulder to mine and watched me with concern.

"I'm good. Just not feeling too hot." I stood and smiled down at him. "Or maybe feeling too hot. Just a little fever I guess. I'll be okay."

"Let me know if you need me. Go splash your face with cold water." He gave me a fatherly smile and leaned back in his seat.

I glanced over at the girls to find Riley still asleep, looking like an angel, and Deza staring out the window.

"Hey. I'm sorry." I reached over Riley and brushed my fingers down D's shoulder. "I'm just tense with all the shit going on. You know I suck at change."

"I'm sorry too. Love you." She reached out and gripped my hand, brushing her cheek by it. "You running a fever?"

She started to get up, but I motioned for her to stay still.

"I'm good. Just a little hot is all. I'll be all right. Stay there." I turned and walked toward the back of the plane as I forced my anger and hurt back into the tight box I kept them in. It was no one's fault that I'd suffered some crazy shit as a kid. I'd almost take it all again to keep the relationship Liam and I had forged out of the madness.

A shiver ran through me as I walked into the moderate-sized bathroom and turned on the cool water. After splashing water on my face several times, I dropped down on the toilet and let my head fall back.

Deza was right. Offering myself to Riley was fucking stupid, but it didn't matter much. The pretty girl hadn't taken me up on it, nor had she mentioned it again. She was too focused on keeping her old life intact and moving into a new one. I couldn't blame her. I'd not have diverged from the path to reach super-stardom for anything a few years back. Now it felt like a ball and chain most days.

"Hey. You okay?" Riley's voice was filled with concern as she knocked on the door.

"Yeah. Just feeling a little feverish." I reached up and unlocked the door.

She opened it and moved to stand in the opening. "You look like shit."

I chuckled and closed my eyes. "Awesome."

"Well, you look incredible, but your looking like shit is someone else's best day." The sound of the water starting brought an odd calm over me.

"I'm fine." I blinked slowly as my heart slowed down a little. I was fine until she moved to squat in front of me. She was too close, the scene was too intimate. I could almost hear the porn music cued in the backdrop of my thoughts.

"You don't look fine." She reached up and ran the cold rag over my cheek as her face filled with concern.

"I'm good. I can do that." I wrapped my hand around hers and groaned as my stomach contracted painfully. Maybe I wasn't as good as I thought. "Get out."

I move up and knocked her over, not stopping to pick her up as I turned and pulled the toilet seat up as my breakfast came back up. I gripped the sides of the seat and groaned again as I moved down to my knees.

"Ethan. What can I do?" Her voice was so soft.

"Nothing." I wanted to care that the finest girl in my world was standing behind me while I barfed my guts out, but nothing mattered other than getting through the moment.

The brush of the soft rag against the back of my neck calmed me. I panted softly and sat back on my heels as she tugged at the bottom of my shirt.

"Take this off." Her voice drove a spike of desire past my sickness and caused the room to grow fuzzy.

"Trying to get me naked while I'm out of it, I see." I lifted my arms as she pulled the shirt off and knelt behind me. The soft swipe of the cold rag in her hand felt good against my hot skin. I pressed my arms to the toilet and rested my head against them.

"What happened? What's the matter?" Deza's voice was loud, aggravating.

I groaned again and lifted up to my knees to start another round of vomiting.

"He's not doing so well." Riley sounded worried.

It was odd to have her taking care of me. I'd long given up on finding anyone other than Deza and Liam that would be something special in my life. She was going to whittle her way down into my heart. I could tell that I wouldn't have a standing chance if she tried.

"Get out," I groaned again and swatted at them wildly. "Seriously. Fuck."

"I'm out. He turns into a diva when he's sick." Deza snorted.

"I'm not going anywhere, you ass. Just get it out and let me take care of you." Riley's fingernails dragged over my back.

I moaned and pressed my hands to my face as I tried to catch my breath. "That feels good."

"Good. Just breathe through your nose. Long, slow breaths." Her finger brushed down my spine followed by the cold rag as she pressed it open and coated my skin in its coolness.

"You're making me want to be nice all the time. Stop." I pursed my lips as my stomach revolted against the peace she was working to help me find.

"Stop being cheeky and breathe. You can be an ass when we get out of here and you're feeling better."

I wanted her arms around me. Wanted to feel her lips against my ear and the soft press of her cheek against my skin. I wanted more than I should have wanted. It was unfair to either of us to even give voice to my needs or her desires. To mix the two would be explosive in the moment, and then much like a bomb going off, we would be left with the aftermath to clean up.

"I'm better." I sat back again and blinked through the haze around me. "Can you get me a sprite or water?"

"Of course." She stood up and walked out of the bathroom as I sagged against the wall to my left. "Here. Small sips."

I took the drink and moved back to my ass. "Thank you."

"Of course." She leaned over and flushed the toilet before kneeling beside me again. Her pretty pink top accentuated the feminine features I'd come to enjoy seeing. Her little button nose and luscious full lips. Caring blue eyes and flawless skin.

I reached out and brushed the back of my fingers down the side of her face as I lifted the cup to my lips. "Tell me Jace isn't your man. Lie to me."

"Hush. Don't start this Casanova shit again." She picked up the wet towel beside the sink and moved closer, wiping at the side of my face. "You're just not feeling good."

"True, but still. You deserve a good man."

"Do those exist?" She gave me a cheeky grin and fuck if I didn't want to reach out and pull her into my lap. I felt like hell was waging war on my stomach, but kissing her sounded like the best-laid plan I could devise. She's taken care of me. I wanted to return the favor.

"I'm not sure to be honest." I took the towel from her and pressed it to my head. "I think I'm good. Honestly. Thank you for taking care of me."

"We promised each other that we would protect the other. This is just an extension of that, right?" She moved back and stood up before offering her hand. "Let me help you up."

"I'm too big." I set my sprite on the counter above me and gripped the side of the sink.

She huffed at me. "You are not. Give me your damn hand, you lug."

"See. You just called me a lug." I gave her my hand and let her half pull me up. The room spun, and I reached out and gripped her arm with my free hand. "Fuck. I have no clue what I ate, but never again."

"Come on. Let's get you back in your seat." She pulled me out of the bathroom and wrapped her arm around the back of my waist, letting me lean on her a little.

"How the hell did that go from bad to worse so fast?" I mumbled and sat down in my seat as Frank stiffened next to me.

"What's wrong? Did you get sick?" He took the sprite from Deza, who must have gone to get it for me.

"I'm good. Just something I ate." I leaned back and reclined my chair. "I'm going to take a nap. Wake me up when we get there."

"Rest up. We're not doing anything today, but I do want us to have a mini-scene camp tomorrow before the big scene shooting gets underway. Nothing too crazy, but just a few things on technique and style, especially for you, Riley."

I waved my hand in the air to get him to shut up. "We'll get it down. Hush so I can rest. Hopefully whatever was fucking me up is over."

Riley pressed the wet cloth to my head as I glanced up at her and caught her wrist.

"Thank you. Seriously." I brought her hand to my mouth and kissed her wrist softly. "I needed that."

Her cheek turned pink as Frank grumbled next to me. I didn't care.

"Sure. Of course." She pulled her hand from me and walked to her seat, dropping down with a sigh. "Just get some sleep."

"Don't let Frank molest me. He's had the hots for me for years." I smiled as he laughed beside me.

"He's going to be fine. He's already acting like himself again."

Funny they would know what the real me looked like. I hadn't seen him in years, but for a moment in the bathroom, with Riley behind me, taking care of me... I almost felt him. Almost.