Waiting in the Wings (16 page)

smile, hoping maybe she recognized me from the cast and realized we weren’t there to murder her and hide the evidence. “Sorry to bother you.”

The woman stared back at us, clearly suspicious about our intentions.

“Good night. See you tomorrow,” I called back to her as Adrienne pulled me to the door, giggling.

As we spilled back onto the street, she turned to me. “Why do I feel like a teenager who just got busted in the locker room at school?”

I looked at her, mock surprise on my face. “Did you hook up with girls in the locker room at school?”

“I totally did.”

I shook my head in wonder. “You were so far ahead of me, it’s ridiculous.”

“You’re catching up, I’d say.” She tossed her head in the direction of the stage door, indicating what I’d gotten us into.

I laced my fingers through hers as we strolled through the streets of downtown Austin. The night air felt warm and comfortable and the stars gleamed brightly above. Though it was clear her knee was in much better shape, we still had to maintain a much slower pace. I looked at her hopefully. “How long can you stay?”

“I have to fly back to New York tomorrow afternoon.”

“Really? That long?” My disappointment was clear.

“I know. This was kind of last minute though. I was offered six episodes of
Time Chasers
and have to be on set for a fitting by

late tomorrow. I knew if I wanted to sneak in a visit, this would be my only shot. I thought what better place to be in late autumn than Austin, Texas. See, I know a girl there.”

“A very lucky girl who is thrilled by this little surprise, I might add.”

“I hoped you’d like it.” She smiled, tugging my arm a little. “Congratulations, by the way.
Time Chasers
, that’s a hot show

right now. I was just reading about it.”

“I know. I kind of lucked out.” We stopped at the crosswalk, waiting for the light to change. “I’m a little nervous about it though. I haven’t done TV for a while, and since this could lead to other projects, I don’t want to screw it up.”

“They wouldn’t have called if they didn’t want you specifically. Just show up and do what you do, Age. You can’t go wrong with that.” The light changed and we walked to the end of the block. “Where to now?”

“Let’s head back to the hotel. I need to say hello to a few people to be polite, and then I’m all yours.”

“Sounds good. But I’m only sharing you to honor your sense of etiquette. Let’s be clear.”

“You’re such a giver.” “I know.”

❖

The hot water was just what the doctor ordered. I had given the show my all that night, and was happy I had, knowing now that Adrienne had been in the audience. I sighed as tension from the day left my body.

Adrienne went to Ben’s room down the hall to pick up the luggage he’d allowed her to store there earlier today, and to catch up with some of her friends. I’d gone ahead and gotten in the shower, so we’d have more time together when she returned. She’d been gone at least ten minutes and I already missed her. I realized once again how happy it made me knowing she was in the same city as I was.

I toweled off and put on one of my more alluring sleep outfits. It wasn’t exactly lingerie, that was more Adrienne’s thing, but the lace-adorned boy shorts and tight fitting tank top I wore accentuated my body in the right places.

Still no Adrienne. I took a seat in the comfy looking hotel chair and thumbed through the hotel provided booklet outlining Austin’s local attractions. I made note of some of the things I’d like to check out on my downtime but was interrupted by the sound of a card key in the door. I looked up as Adrienne entered, dragging two large bags behind her. I immediately jumped to my feet to help. “Why didn’t Ben help you with these? You shouldn’t be dragging these things around with that knee.”

“Not true,” she said. “My OT guy would applaud my efforts and say this is exactly what I should be doing. Oh…you look hot.” She stopped and took me in.

“I remember you liking this outfit.” I took a step closer.” To my surprise, she sidestepped, and moved into the room, passing me by. Ouch.

“Can we talk for a minute, Jenna?”

“We can always talk. You know that.” I followed her into the room and sat on the end of the bed, next to her.

“Uh-uh.” She shook her head. “I need you over there. This is important and I don’t trust myself when you look like that.”

I nodded and moved back to the chair. “What’s up?” She took a breath. “I know about your offer.”

I blinked hard. “You do?”

She nodded and raised her eyes to meet mine. “I waited for you to tell me on your own, but it was starting to seem like you were never going to. Have you accepted?”

“What? Of course not.” I sighed, hating she’d found out before I could explain. This cast was impossible to keep things from, apparently. “I don’t know what I’m going to do, to be completely honest.”

“It’s an incredible opportunity, Jenna.”

“I know that. Trust me, I know that but…” “But?”

“What about us? Our plans? New York?”

“It’s a complicated situation, and I want you to do what’s right for you.”

I inwardly cringed. It wasn’t exactly what I was hoping to hear. Did she not want me to come to New York anymore? “That was a very politically correct answer you just gave.”

Adrienne studied the ceiling, seeming to take her time formulating her thoughts. “I don’t want to be the thing that stands between you and your shot. What if we don’t work out, or worse. What if we do and you end up resenting me?”

“That would never happen.” “You don’t know that.”

I raised my hand, bringing the conversation to halt. “Hear me out. What if we did the long-distance thing? I know fifteen months is a lot longer than three, but we could make it work. I know we could. I’d come to New York any chance I got, and LA’s nice in the spring.”

My words hung in the air and Adrienne seemed at a loss. “A quick weekend here or there? That’s all it would be, Jenna. I don’t know.”

I brushed away a stray tear. I’d been so stressed out lately and this conversation was asking too much of me. I looked pleadingly at Adrienne. “You don’t have to decide tonight. Can we table this for now and just…be together? Forget the rest of the world?”

Adrienne nodded, a resigned smile on her lips. She crossed the room, and as she reached the chair, I gently pulled her onto my lap, her knees on either side of my hips. In that moment, I needed to be with her more than ever before. I pulled back and went to work unbuttoning her shirt slowly, deliberately, and let it fall from her shoulders. She gasped when my lips and tongue found the column of her neck and kissed my way up to her chin. I pushed her bra up over her breasts. Her nipples were hard, already anticipating my touch. I took one into my mouth as Adrienne threw her head back, her breathing already shallow. My tongue circled the bud, my teeth teasing as I grazed its ridge. I moved on to her other breast, offering it the same attention.

“It feels like forever since you touched me this way,” she breathed.

“That’s because it has been,” I murmured.

Her hips began to rock against my own and I was instantly wet. She reached under my tank top, laid her palms flat against my rib cage, and moved them upward, cupping my breasts, squeezing and caressing as she moved. The sensations already shooting to my groin doubled. While it would have been nice to take it slow, my need overtook my ideal and I was a woman on a mission. I pushed a hand between us and unbuttoned her jeans, reaching into them until I found her warm center. I moved my fingers through her slick folds, encouraged as she whimpered at the intimate contact. Adrienne grabbed steadfastly to my wrist and guided me, pushing me deeper. She began moving rhythmically across my hand, the whole process applying pressure to my already swollen clit and making me think I might beat her to the finish line. I tilted my head back, closing my eyes, struggling to hold on.

“Jenna, baby, look at me.”

And I did. Those green eyes, now hooded with wrenching desire, were my undoing as they slammed into mine. I felt myself tumble over the edge as the orgasm racked my body, shooting through me like a speeding train. The movement of her hips only prolonged the intense pleasure that had now cascaded outward to each extremity. Adrienne joined me as the muscles around my fingers contracted, clenching me tightly. She cried out and rode my hand until the last pulsations left her spent and satiated. She collapsed forward onto my body, tucking her face into my neck and kissing it. I pulled my hand from her jeans and wrapped my arms around her, holding tight.

❖

Morning came too soon. It was only fitting that the day Adrienne left was overcast and drizzly with a newfound chill in the Texas air. Unfortunately, I had press obligations for the show first thing and Adrienne had a lunchtime flight to catch, so she would hang back at

the hotel until then. She was fresh from the shower when it was time for me to head out. I absolutely hated the thought of being without her again.

I placed my hands on her shoulders and met her gaze in the mirror while she brushed her hair. “Are you sure you don’t need help getting to the airport?”

“Nope. I got it.”

“I’m sure Stewart wouldn’t mind. You could save money on cab fare and I wouldn’t have to worry about you hurting your knee. It’s a win-win.”

“Tell you what.” She turned and placed her arms around my waist. “I promise not to do further damage to my knee if you promise to relax a little.”

“Tall order.” I kissed her forehead. Adrienne and I had made love twice the night before and our time together reminded me how strong my feelings really were for her. We hadn’t continued our conversation about LA, and I knew this was the last time I would see her before having to give the producers my answer. I’d stayed awake most of the night thinking about it, but I’d finally made my decision. This job was too big for me to risk and I had to stay focused. I didn’t want to give Adrienne up, but she had to meet me halfway. If she wasn’t willing to, she clearly didn’t feel for me what I felt for her. The separation would be a difficult test of our relationship, but I knew we’d come through.

I kissed her thoroughly while we said good-bye and made every attempt to memorize the sight of her.

Her eyes were shining with emotion. “I hate saying good-bye to you.”

“That makes two of us.”

She took my hand and walked me to the door. It was now or never. I took a deep breath. “I have to take the job, Adrienne.” She paused at my words, her back to me. I hated that I couldn’t see her face. “It’s too big an opportunity to turn down and I’ve worked too hard. Please say something.”

Years seemed to go by as I stood there. She turned around

finally, her expression excruciatingly polite. “Congratulations.”

I shook my head, wanting to put my hand on her arm but thinking better of it. “Please don’t do that. This isn’t the end. I want us to be together. Say you want that too. We can still do New York down the line. This is just a slight detour. We can still have it all.”

Her brow furrowed and she held up one finger. “You mean
you
can still have it all. I don’t want to be your long-distance girlfriend, Jenna, who amounts to nothing more than a stolen weekend here or there.”

“That’s not all it would be.”

“That’s exactly what it would be.” Her voice was calm, but her eyes were ice cold. “You’ve made your choice. There’s nothing left to say.”

“That’s not true.”

She held the door open for me. I couldn’t believe this was happening.

“This is not what I choose. Don’t do this. Adrienne, I think I’m falling—”

She raised her hand. “Don’t say it. We had a good time, Jenna.

Let’s leave it there. I wish you all the success in the world.”

Nothing she could have said would have hurt worse than that. I wasn’t stupid.
You don’t matter that much to me
was easy enough to translate from the words she’d just spoken. I felt like the walls were closing in and my limbs suddenly had weights attached to them.

There was a knock on the door and we both jumped. “Jenna, are you coming? We’re gonna be late.” It was Ben. I glanced at my watch.

“Guess you better go. I know how important your career is to you.”

My voice wasn’t working so instead I nodded, my mind blank at the realization that nothing was what I thought it was. I took one last look at Adrienne and walked through the door.

C
hapter
s
even

Four Years Later

“The nominees for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture are…” The screen above the stage came alive as clips from the mentioned films played under the presenter’s voice, showcasing each actress for a brief moment. “Eleanor Kramer for
Getting Away with Murder
, Stephanie Hill for
Chimneys
, Chastidy Kellar for
Wide Range
, Jenna McGovern for
Tenth Avenue,
and Carolyn Rojas for
City of War
.”

I clapped wholeheartedly after each nominee’s name was read and smiled widely. I did my best to focus my attention on the stage, despite the fact there was a giant camera mere inches from my face, recording and broadcasting each minor facial expression I made. I knew I had very little chance of winning this award and prepared myself to look incredibly gracious as the name of another nominee was read as the winner. To be honest, I was flabbergasted to even be in the room.
Tenth Avenue
was only my third film, but definitely the grittiest part I’d yet played. Who knew such a small-budgeted independent movie would garner so much mainstream attention? Not that I was complaining. Suddenly people knew who I was and I was asked to do national interviews on the talk shows I grew up watching. Now, to be nominated for a Golden Globe, quite literally out of nowhere, was surprising to say the least. The whole scenario still felt unreal, but I was doing my best to enjoy the ride. My mom,

who was my date for the evening, squeezed my hand. I looked over at her and winked, happy she was there to share this moment.

“And the winner is…Carolyn Rojas for
City of War
.”