Player in Paradise (4 page)

I spy Austin at the lobby bar after dinner. He
spins a piece of lime around the top of a half-empty bottle of Corona. No one seems to recognize him. Either the clientele is too old, or too rich and snobby to care about a young celebrity.

I take the empty seat next him and wait for the bartender to take
my order. “Cranberry and vodka please.”

Austin glances my way, but remains silent. I’m afraid to ask what’s bothering him s
ince I don’t want to open up a can of worms, but I feel compelled. I turn my bar stool to face him. “Is everything okay?” 

He shakes his head and takes a swig of his drink.

“Whatever it is, it’s probably not as big a deal as it seems,” I say, placing a hand on his broad shoulder. “I can fix it.”

His deep blue eyes meet mine. “Can you make her break up with me?”

“That’s probably the only thing that I can’t do.”

My heart sinks. I didn’t get into the business of lying and making other people’s lives miserable. I’m just supp
osed to make them famous. I may be in over my head, but what can I do to stop it all now?

He
finishes his beer and motions to the bartender for one more. I want to scold him, but since I’m contributing to his pain, I let it go.

“You’re not going to stop me?” he asks, surprised.

“You’re a grown man. You can make your own decisions.”

“Apparently I can’t. Someone else is always pulling the strings.”

I swirl my drink with a straw, watching the red juice mix with the alcohol.

He grabs his new bottle and raises it to clink my glass
.

“What are we celebrating?” I ask.

“To getting hammered in Hawaii?”

I
laugh. “How about to getting to know each other?”

“Sounds good
to me. I’d actually like to get to know the real you, and not just the drill sergeant otherwise known as Olivia.”

“If I’ve been hard on you lately, it’s only because I need to keep you under control.”

He turns himself around so that our knees almost touch and points his finger in my face. “You can never control me.”

I don’t kn
ow if it’s his foolish grin or the vodka and cranberry that sets my heart on fire, but I can feel the heat rise in my belly.

“You won’t even know when I’m in contr
ol of you. That’s how good I am.” My glass is now empty and I guess I’m feeling some liquid courage.

He slo
wly inches his body closer and his leg grazes mine. I can feel his warm, alcohol-soaked breath on my neck. “You better be careful Miss Bossy Pants.”

“Or what?”
I whisper.

As I anxiously await his response, someone clears their throat behind me. I si
t up with a jump and realize that it’s Cassidy. She scowls at me, crossing her arms and tapping her high-heeled foot on the marble floor. “Olivia, I need your help.”

“Hey, she’s helping me right now,” Austin says.

“Yeah, it looks like she’s helping your dick get hard,” Cassidy responds, tossing her hair back.

My face flushes. She’s blunter
than I realized. “No, we were just talking. In fact, I was just about to leave.”

I follow her out of the bar quickly, not giving Austin a chance to take me away. It’s probably a goo
d thing that she interrupted us. I’m not sure what would have happened otherwise.

“I seriously hope you weren’t flirting with Austin,” Cassidy quips.

“No, no, no, of course not. I was just watching him since I noticed he had a few drinks.”

“Good.”

I follow her up the stairs to a smaller lounge. Her mother sits on a loveseat with a binder in her lap. “I took the liberty of meeting with the wedding director, I hope you don’t mind. I just want everything to go perfectly.”

She seems like a typical
, overbearing Hollywood stage mom, but I’m not intimidated. In fact, I don’t mind her mother doing my job for me, especially since I don’t want to plan the engagement in the first place.

“Not at all, I’m sure you know what’s best for your daughter,” I say.

She pats the spot next to her and I slide in. I sit for an hour with this woman and her annoying daughter as they babble on and on about every little detail of how Austin should propose. They even consider preparing a script for him to memorize. These girls are nuts, but I smile and nod along with the conversation. Too bad I didn’t get a refill of my drink before I left the bar.

“Let’s just keep this between us for now, ok
ay?” Cassidy’s mom says. “We don’t need any more outbursts from Austin.”

“Of course,
” I reply.

When they finally release me from their clutche
s, I quickly escape to my room. I hold my ear up to Austin’s room, but don’t hear any noise. Worried that he may still be down at the bar getting wasted, I knock on the door.

“What?” he yells.

“Sorry! Just wanted to make sure you’re alive! You can go back to bed,” I shout through the door.

As I’m about to step away, the door opens and I’m face-to-face with Austin
. He’s shirtless, dressed in blue gym shorts and flip flops, and his wavy hair is completely disheveled.

“I can’t sleep,” he says, barging his way into my room.

“You’re still drunk, aren’t you?”

He shrugs his shoulders and opens up the minibar. He shocks me by pulling out a
chocolate bar instead of more liquor.

“You know you’re paying for that, right?” I say.

He tears the candy open and takes a big bite. Licking the chocolate crumbs off his lips, he steps toward me. “I’d love to pay you for it…”

I back away cautiously. “Austin, stop.”

“Come on, we’re both adults,” he says, taking a seat on my bed.

My brain is screaming at me to resist, but my body is reacting to the situation a bit differently. 

“I’ve never met anyone who plays hard to get like you do Boss Lady.” He stretches his lean body out on the fluffy white comforter and tosses the candy aside.

“I’m not playing, Austin. You know we’ll both get in trouble…especially me.”

“I promise not to tell.” He puts his finger to his lips and zips them up.

I stand at the foot of the bed, staring at t
his gorgeous man in front of me, and mentally go through the motions of what would happen if I let him stay.

He inches
closer to the edge of the mattress and his long legs dangle over the side, skimming my thighs. I’m paralyzed. My head and hormones are in fierce competition, but neither one is taking a stand.

I’m caught off guard as he leaps up quickly, pressing his soft lips to mine. His tongue
pushes through and gently swirls around my mouth. I can taste the lingering cocoa. My skin tingles from head to toe as his large hands grip my bare shoulders, pulling me closer to his warm body.

He goes in for another kiss, but I block his advance. “No, I can’t.”

“It sure seems like you can.” He grins and licks his lips.

I cross my arms against
my chest and gesture for him to exit.

“I’m not giving up on
you yet.” He winks and struts back to his room, closing the door behind him.

I open the text from Mandy.
“
Daily words of wisdom: Austin has had sex with a Playboy Bunny. The Playmate probably had sex with 50 other guys. If you sleep with Austin, you would be sleeping with 50 nasty guys by association. STAY AWAY!!”

I laugh, even though she’s probably right. Why would I want to be with a player? My heart doesn’t allow me to disassociate sex with love, so a one-night-s
tand would never work.

I
join Cassidy and Austin outside for their cooking class. Since it’s meant for a group, I invited the whole entourage to participate. Austin waves me over to stand next to him on the patio. I’m hesitant, but don’t want to make a scene.

He leans over, whispering in my ear. “I’m sorry for getting wasted last night, but I’m not sorry for what happened.”

His breath lingers near my neck longer than necessary, sending a shiver up my spine. I stare up at him, but don’t respond. 

T
he executive chef at the resort tells us all about the local Hawaiian cuisine. Austin grazes his hands across mine as he reaches for fruits and utensils as we slice up pineapple and figure out how to open a coconut. It doesn’t seem like anyone else notices, and I try to ignore him as much as possible, but I know exactly what he’s trying to do.

To his left
, Cassidy pops bite-sized pieces of dragon fruit into his mouth. He kisses her fingers lightly as they pass by his lips. I know it’s not real, but I can’t help feeling a pang of jealousy. Our hired photographer is taking pictures of every moment, so I can’t let my emotions show.

He feeds a forkful of food into Cassidy’s mouth and she giggles after swallowing the bite. As we finish our lesson and our meals, Cassidy’s mother thanks me for putting together such a fun activity. “I’m sure the tabloids will eat these photos up!” she jokes.

I nod and try to get away from her as quickly as possible.

Austin catches me by the arm as we walk back inside the hotel. “That was nice, but I think I’m
in the mood for some dessert.” He narrows his eyes and licks his delicious, full lips.

“So go buy a cookie
,” I say, backing away.

“I think I want something else.” He raises his eyebrows and corners me behind a bank of elevators, hidden away from public view.

“I need to do some work,” I respond, trying my hardest to get out of the situation.

He places his hands against the wall behind me
, surrounding me with his muscular arms. “Are you sure about that?”

“Austin, I can’t risk it,
” I whisper.

“I like this game,” he says, sliding his hands down the wall, closer to my body.

“It’s not a game,” I state.

My job is not a game. I need money to pay my
rent and my bills. I’m the first person in my family to graduate college and make something of myself, and on top of all that, I enjoy what I do.

He quickly grabs my
right hand and places it on his chest, sliding it down slowly. “I’m not convinced.”

My fingers bump over his muscles as they slide across
his abs. I stare up at him, speechless, as he guides my hand further south toward his waistband.

“We can’t do this,” I sputter out, pulling my hand away. I try to catch my breath as my pul
se races.

“You’re driving me crazy,” he says, readjusting his shorts.

I’m driving him crazy? It’s taking every ounce of strength I have not to pounce on his ass right now! And I feel guilty as hell planning his proposal to Cassidy when I know he would never willingly agree to it. I want to tell him what’s going on, but I know he’ll bolt before the week ends if I do.

“I already told you, I can’t afford to lose my job and hooking up with you would b
e a serious offense.”

“Fine,” he says. “Then just come hang
out with me. I’m going stir crazy in this damn hotel.”

We haven’t left the resort since we got here, but it’s for
his own safety. I don’t want mobs of fan girls chasing him in unknown territory.

“And where would you like to go?” I ask.

He flashes a mischievous grin and links my arm to his. Leading me out of the hotel, he opens the door to a cab waiting out front.

We hop in and Austin leans forward.
“Can you take us somewhere scenic, private, and off the beaten path?”

The driver nods and takes off. I usually hate surprises, but with Austin in the backseat next to me, I’m a little less nervous. He grabs my hand again and rubs his thumb against the backs
ide of my palm in little circles.

We ride in the cab for about twenty minutes before arriving at our unknown destination. Austin pays the driver and asks him to come back for us in an hour. We step out to find ourselves surrounded by a lush, green tropical forest. I spot a dirt trail in the distance.

“Up for an adventure?” he asks, glancing toward the path.

I nod and follow his lead…everything seems like an adventure with him.

We walk slowly along the trail. I don’t see any other tourists around, and all I can hear are the birds and insects chirping around us. Austin guides me around some rocks as I stumble in my sandals. After about a half a mile, I hear the sound of rushing water, and we find ourselves in front of the most breathtaking waterfall I’ve ever seen. The water tumbles down the side of the rock into a crystal-clear, calm pool of bright blue. It’s like a living post card.

“This is gorgeous.” I reach
for my phone to take a picture, but before I can snap it, Austin steals the phone away and places it in his pocket. I’m about to protest when he begins to unbuckle his belt. Then the button of his khaki shorts pops open. Unzipping his fly, he steps out and tosses them on a rock. Standing there in his tight grey boxer briefs, he glides off his loose navy tank, placing that aside as well.

He
jumps into the water, crashing through the abyss, causing mini waves to form around him.

“Come on!
” he shouts. “The water’s great.”

Crap. How can I get myself out of this one? “Um…I don’t have a bathing suit.”

“So?” He swims closer to the rock I’m standing on and splashes the cool water on my feet. “Join me.”

Not giving me a chance to protest, he pushes himself out of the water and
back onto the rock. Stepping close enough for the moisture to drip from his hair onto my shoulders, he takes the bottom of my tank top in his hands and peels it slowly over my head. I want to cover myself with my hands as I stand in front of him in my pink cotton bra and denim shorts, but I’m left out in the open. His eyes dart to my chest and I blush. I don’t have the body of a movie star, but the way he’s staring at me makes me think I might have what it takes.

He reaches for my bottoms, but I can handle that on my own. I strip down and unveil my matching pink cotton hip-huggers. I lay my clothes out neatly and tip toe into the water. The temperature is cold, but refreshing.

Austin jumps back in with a splash.

“Come here.” Treading over, he pulls me in close. My arms and legs wrap around him as he carries me effortlessly. I throw my head back and let my hair soak up the water.

The pounding noise of the waterfall rushing behind us entrances me into a dream-like state. We’re secluded in the middle of nowhere. How would anyone find out if something were to happen between us now?

My thoughts are quickly interrupted by Austin’s lips crushing against mine. Taken by surprise, his tongue forcefully enters my mouth, deliciously exploring.
I can’t stop myself from locking my limbs around him tighter. His kiss is intoxicating, and I run my fingers through his damp locks. A quiet moan unintentionally escapes my throat as he bites and sucks my lower lip.

He pulls back, fixing his irresistible eyes on me. “I knew you wanted me.”

I quickly scan our secluded surroundings, double checking that no other tourists or locals are around.

“No one can know abou
t this. I’m dead serious.” I don’t blink as I speak the words.

“This secret rendezvous
will remain a secret. I promise,” he responds, not breaking contact with my stare.

I trust him. I’m not sure why, since I know he’s capable of being an amazingly convincing liar, but I do.

As soon as we’re in agreement, his lips trail kisses down my neck, landing on my collar bone. My body responds with a wave of chills, sending goosebumps all over. He rubs his hands up and down my arms, then grazes my breasts with his large hands through the wet fabric.

I
writhe against him under the water, aching for his touch as he grows hard against my leg. We travel slowly through the waterfall to the small cave beneath. Although we’re both panting and hungry for more, I hold my hand to his slippery chest and gently ease him off me.

“What’s wrong?” he asks.

“We can’t do this.”

“Why not?
We’re completely alone in the middle of a fucking waterfall. I’d say this is the perfect place to do it.”

Of course I want to get with him, but
deep down I know I shouldn’t. I rapidly try to think of an excuse to get me out of the situation and land on one that is actually true.

“Got a condom?”
I ask.

He thinks for a moment. “Shit.”

“That’s what I thought.”

I
re-adjust my bra as his eyes remain glued to my chest.

“We can finish
this back at the hotel tonight,” he says, biting his lush bottom lip. He’s so damn tempting; it’s killing me to decline his advances.

“I don’t know; it’s a little dangerous there with all of those people around who can rat us out.”

“Don’t remind me,” he says, lifting me out of the water to sit on the ledge of the cave in front of him. “Cassidy has gone psycho. I mean, she’s always been a lunatic, but she’s gone off the deep end this week.”

I nod my head in agreement
, hoping he ends the conversation there. He hoists himself up and joins me on the ledge, placing his wet hand on my thigh.

“She wants me to propose
to her, can you believe that?” he asks, tossing stray pebbles into the water. “Actually, she’s demanding it.”

“Yeah…that’s crazy.” I stare down into the blue ripples. I am a horrible liar.

He turns and lifts my chin up to face him. “I don’t have to do it, right?”

“Umm…well,
you don’t have to, but if you want to keep your fans happy and help me keep my job, then I suggest you play along with whatever she has planned.”

“Seriously?”
The corners of his mouth turn down as he looks away.

“Yes, seriously.”

He throws the next pebble harder, creating a large ripple. “You really can’t stop this from happening?”

Of course I want to stop this
from happening, but how can I stop the crazy train once it’s left the station? Austin uncurls his fists and shakes out his long fingers.

“I’ll see what I can do.
”

He throws his strong arms around me in a bear hug. “Thank you.”

Jumping up quickly, Austin dives back into the water, and I follow in after him, swimming back to shore.