The Stars Trilogy (25 page)

“Uly hasn’t called me yet.”

“Expect a call today.”

“Okay, thanks, man.”

“Later.”

“Alright. See you soon.”

His 75 million dollars investment in hydrocarbon explorations in the deep Bossier sands in East Texas may have just paid off big time. He had a fifty percent stake of Sphinx Energy, a company founded by his business partner and good friend Ulysses Zarco. They bought the rights to operate on the 4,000 acre strip of gas play in Robertson County, Texas. They contracted Devereaux Oil, an international petroleum company based in Canada to do the drilling and refining. So far, they had drilled six developmental wells in the deep Bossier. The first five were relatively small, shallow reserves of oil.

The sixth was the jackpot.

He waited for the rush. This would make him enter the two digit billionaire list.

It didn’t come.

His mind quickly went back to the blasted woman.

Celine was surprised to see Dare’s number flash on the iPhone provided by Kelsey for her to use at work. It was the first time for him to call her on this phone. Why would he be calling her on her day off?

She reluctantly took the call. “Hello?”

“Celine.”

Her heart did a back flip. “Oh...h-hi!”

“Did you sleep well?”

“Uhm, yes. I woke up late.”

“Good.”

Silence.

“Uh, what are you doing?”

“Now?”

“Yes.”

“I’m at my flat cooking. Ben and Rocky are working on the script. They want to finish it by tomorrow. I told Ben the news about Mr. Knoxville and they got pressured to finish it the soonest they can and I’m cooking for them. For dinner.”

She was blabbering in her excitement and nervousness.

“What are you cooking?”

Huh? Why was he asking about her cooking and not about his script? “Baked spicy pork ribs Filipino style, seafood pasta and salad.”

“Sounds delicious. Can I come join you for dinner?”

“Huh? Here?”

“Yes.”

“Uhm, aren’t you supposed to be doing something else?”

“Like what?”

“I dunno. A date or something.”

“Are you fishing, Celine?”

“No! Of course not!”

“I’ll be there at six. I’ll bring wine.”

“O...kay.”

“A’ight. Later. Bye.”

She stared at her phone for a full minute.

He was coming over. To have dinner with her. Well, not with her alone but with Ben and Rocky, too.

But that meant he would taste her cooking.

Oh boy, pressure, pressure!

Chapter Eleven

“I saw Omega last week with my cuz Shavonne and did we love it? I so loved it! The movie house

was full and we had to sit on the stairs but I didn’t mind. I just loved the way you killed all

those monsters! I wish you didn’t kiss Kate Beckinsale a lot in the movie. Made me so green!

I hope she breaks up your marriage. lol. Kidding! You seem happy with Alana and that’s

what matters to me, your happiness. Please keep making kick-ass movies. You’re the best

and the greatest!...I will not say I love you again until you get divorced. Ops! My bad:)))”

HER FRONT DOOR WAS AJAR. What the hell was she doing leaving it like that, inviting all kinds of bad elements to enter her place?  He quietly stepped into her flat. His nose was immediately assailed by a delicious aroma.

Dare closed the door, went to her kitchen and was greeted by booty up in the air, twin, luscious bumps made for doggie action.

Celine was bending over the oven. She was wearing this floral, stretchable number that outlined her porn star butt to perfection. His hands itched to touch them and slap them playfully. Half of her back was visible too from the design of her top.

Shit. First sight of her today and he was already thinking of slapping her butt. He cleared his throat.

“Rocky? I’m not done yet. Are you hungry already?”

He gnashed his teeth. To hear another man’s name on her lips while he was tenting in his pants, thanks to her, was like a major blow off. Was that how she usually talked to the guy? Sweet. So familiar.

She straightened up and turned around, a ladle in her hand.

“Oh...Hi!” she squeaked, her eyes wide in surprise when she saw him.

If her back was arresting, her front was stunning. And he had seen too many stunning women to be still stunned. But this one took his breath away every time. Not that she was showing any of her frontal assets. In fact, her torso was modestly covered by the flowing folds of her halter top. It was her face that rooted him on the spot. She had the smile that could zap him like no other. Sparkling eyes, flushed cheeks, pearly whites framed by puffy, pink lips.

She looked like sunshine even at night.

And the way she was looking at him...God, what was it in that look that made him ache so? It was just different. Different from the looks he had received from countless of women. She always looked at him like she knew him. The real him.

Dangerous looks. Could fool a man into believing.

Believing was the beginning of the end.

“You left your door open,” he said.

“Oh...I usually leave it open for Ben. He comes in here every now and then.”

That pissed him off but he made no further comment. He gave her the wine he took from his private cellar.

She looked at the label. “Wow! We can’t drink this!”

“Why not?”

“It’s like ten thousand dollars a bottle! It’s vintage!”

She knew about wine, too. A woman with fine taste, indeed.
“
You don’t think we deserve to drink it? I have more in my cellar, older than this.”

She grinned. “If you put it that way, then we will definitely drink it.” She carefully put the bottle on top of the kitchen counter. “You’re early.”

“I’m sorry. Do you mind?” He was at the Phoenix building, staring in space and couldn’t think of anything he wanted to do despite his piling list of things to do.
Come on, you’ve been counting minutes all afternoon, waiting for 6 PM.
How he hated waiting.

“No. It’s just that dinner is not yet ready.”

“It’s okay. Need any help?”

Her eyes surveyed his clothes. “Let’s not mess up such perfection or your stylist will kill me.”

“I’m not paying her to bitch when I ruin my clothes.” He took off his jacket. His body was becoming overheated. She bit her bottom lip, a habit of hers that he now associated with her in a very aroused state. Maybe it was a bad idea to remove his jacket as his fly was rapidly filling up. God, he itched to touch her.

And Ben was just a few doors away.

Damn.

“What’s that?” he asked, gesturing to the pan with a simmering concoction in it.

“Oh, the pasta sauce. I can’t decide if it’s too sweet or salty.”

He stared at her luscious lips. How can a woman’s lips drive him so crazy? “Lemme have a taste.”

“Huh?”

“The sauce.”

“Oh.” She turned to scoop a small amount of the sauce with the wooden ladle and blew on it several times. Then she came closer to him and raised the ladle to his lips. “Careful, it’s hot.”

He held her hand and guided the ladle to his lips and tasted the sauce. He let it stay on his tongue, savoring its rich, exotic taste of herbs and spices and then he swallowed. “Hmmm.”

“Well?” she asked.

Fuck Ben.

Just a taste. I won’t eat the whole thing, I promise.

He kissed her.

He was craving for her the whole day. It was all he could think about. The taste of her.

His fingers combed through her silky mass of hair to steady her head as he slanted his lips against hers, deepening the kiss. She tasted of the pasta sauce and her very own unique, highly addictive sweetness.

Taking the ladle from her fingers, he backed her on the counter top. He dropped the ladle on the sink.

Just a little feel. I won’t take the whole thing. I swear.

He lifted her on the counter top and wedged his body between her legs, never once letting go of her lips. His hands went under the loose hem of her halter top and caressed her back.

She was responding to him with equal hunger, her legs gripping his hips as she undulated against him. Damn, she was hot! He cupped one breast...

The door buzzed. “Celine, we’re starving!”

They both froze.

“Oh my God! Let me go!” she whispered, frantically pushing him away from her. She jumped from the counter top and combed her fingers through her now tousled hair, flushing red in the cheeks, guilt in her eyes.

She ran to open the door. She came back to the kitchen shortly with Ben.

Almost caught by your lover, weren’t you?
he wanted to mock her.

“Oh. You’re here,” Ben said with less enthusiasm.

The old man was looking at him with suspicion in his eyes.

Dare tried hard not to flinch from Ben’s stare. Guilt assaulted him. He knew he was a bad person but something was really sick in him. He had a thousand women ready to jump on his dick at the crook of his finger and he was hitting on Ben’s little Asian girlfriend behind the old man’s back. Good ol’ Ben who never remarried after his first wife died. And just when Ben found someone like Celine, too young but was willing to take care of him in his old age, here he was, Supermodel Serial Killer, who had callously stolen girlfriends from hapless boyfriends many times without a pang of guilt, was trying to steal Ben’s little slice of heaven. He was a complete bastard. Granted that Celine was showing a change of heart and was gunning for him now, the little cheating opportunist, this was one offer he should not take. If he had some decency left in his body, he would turn this little Asian temptress down flat on her ass. He can let this one get away.

But just the thought of not having a piece of that fine ass was making him bleed with gut-gnawing resentment.

“How’s the script?” he asked Ben casually, fighting the vicious jealousy that was warring with his conscience.

“Almost done. Give us until tomorrow. Rocky and I will work on it until midnight. ”

He nodded. “Good. Good.”

“I heard about the good news. You got Knox.”

“Yeah. That’s why I need the script the soonest. I want to start shooting within two months. We have a lot of pre-prod preparations to do. Casting, auditions. You know the works.”

Ben nodded then sniffed. “Sweety, I smell something getting burnt.”

“Oh my gosh, the sauce!” Celine exclaimed, rushing to the oven, immediately turning it off. She grabbed the ladle and stirred the pan. “Damn, it’s overcooked now!”

“I’m sure it’s fine, sweety, “ Ben said to her gently. “I’ll eat anything you cook. Man, that smells delicious!”

She smiled at Ben sweetly. “Why don’t you guys go about your business? I’ll call you back when dinner’s ready.”

“Okay, sweety. Come on, Dare, let’s go to my unit. Rocky’s come up with new great ideas.”

He reluctantly followed Ben.

Damn, but the woman can really cook. He’d been grubbing on European dishes for two years now since Kelsey hired Yves and everything tasted bland to him now no matter what he ate.

Celine had a different take on pasta. The sauce did not taste overcooked at all. It was perfect, the kind that melted in the mouth and would elicit a craving for more. And the spicy ribs...man, he can finish the whole platter all on his own! He followed a diet designed by his personal trainer to maintain his weight and muscle mass but tonight, he forgot about it. He ate like he just came off a hard labor camp.

Filipino cooking was addictive.
Filipina cook is addictive, too.

Ben was amused at him. “Shall we make you fat in the script?”

Dare paused from nibbling on a rib and looked at Ben, perplexed. “Huh?”

“You’re going to star in this movie, right? The sailor?”

“I haven’t thought of it really. Maybe, I’ll just direct.”

“But it’s going to sell more if you have a role in it as an actor,” Celine pointed out.

He shrugged. “Maybe the sailor. Or simply a cameo. I’ll decide when I’ve read the finished script.”