Page 9 of Heartthrob

“Okay, man, I was just checking things out. You're serious about her, aren’t you?”

“Yeah! Yeah, I am.” I go over to the windows and look out at the ocean below. “She’s different from anybody I’ve ever met.”

I’ve spent my entire life being used for my money, my looks, or my connections. My own mom and dad looked at me as nothing more than a walking paycheck. But this woman, she apologizes for not asking me if it’s okay to even have an orgasm, doesn’t want money or jewelry, and values people over things. She’s not like anything I have ever seen, anything I’ve ever been around.

“How do you want to spin this? To introduce her to the world?”

This is why Andy is my agent. There are situations where he just throws his hands up and asks me how I want it. I like that in an agent, me being the control freak that I am.

“Tell them I saw her walking on the street and had to have her. Tell them anything you want but make sure you let them know she’s mine.”

I spent a good part of the night looking into my little thief. With the help of my very well imbursed private investigator, I found out her parents died in a fire, she's an only child meaning she doesn’t have anyone in the world, and she’s been working her ass off since she was fifteen. First, so she could help her parents send her to college and then - after the fire - to survive.

“Gotcha. Saw her, had to have her. This is good. Other people will look at this as you coming down off Mount Hollywood and picking ‘a real person’ to be with. Oh, I can so totally work with this.”

“Just make sure everyone understands this is serious. I won’t hesitate to bury anyone who tries to take her from me.”

“You mean metaphorically, I hope.” He has a goofy smile on his face until he sees mine. Then his smile slips. “You do mean metaphorically, right? Linc? Oh shit!”

Yeah, it’s like that Andy. I find my lips tilting into an evil grin. Get the word out there for me. I have no doubt you will.

Chapter Seven

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Esme

“I’ll handle him.”

And then he’s gone. Leaving me alone with all my confusion. Alone with a bed full of questions and a belly covered with …him.

I run my hand down to touch where he came on me. It’s still warm and thick. Sticky to the touch. I bring my fingers up to stare at them. Do most men cum so much?

I hear more voices downstairs and it sends me running to the bathroom. After my shower I find my clothes washed and folded on a chair by the bedroom window. I take a deep breath before I put my game face on so I can make it through this day. I just need to take all of this one day at a time. One breath, one event, one heartbeat at a time.

I’m rushed through introductions with Andy who strikes me as funny and quirky but ultimately harmless. He’s so wrapped up in work that he doesn’t really notice women…or men. When women come from stores with racks full of clothing and swoon over him he acts like they aren’t even there. It makes me wonder why he works the way he does. Is he committed or is it because he’s trying to run from something?

I would never ask. It’s none of my business. But I see a lot of myself in Andy. I guess I just wonder if he keeps busy for the same reason I spent years keeping busy too.

I spend the first half of the day with Linc and Andy - the two men helping me pick everything from cocktail dresses to sleepwear. The rest of the day Andy does a lot of press pictures. Some are taken outside, around the pool, or down by the ocean, but others are in places all over. Andy even has photographers follow us to a park while we walk around.

By the time we get back home, all I can think about is a long shower and bed. Then Linc shows me the room with the tub in it. It’s the biggest tub I’ve ever seen. He’s had someone come in and start filling it for me with petals from flowers on top of the pink water.

His hands come to rest on my shoulders. “Take as long as you want but remember whose bed you come to afterward.”

He drops a kiss on my nose and then leaves. He’s been doing things like that all day long. I realize it’s all an act but it still makes my heart race and my pulse leap. All the little touches, the light kisses, the brushes of his hand have all gone a long way into rattling my nerves.

I don’t spend very long in the tub but I do make sure I fully enjoy it before I put on the new nightclothes and make my way to the bedroom. When I come through the door, Linc looks up from his laptop and stops typing. He stares for a long time without saying anything. I start to squirm, pulling at the hem of the little dress. It didn’t seem this short when I first put it on.

It’s a light pink color and comes to the tops of my thighs. I thought it was pretty but now that I’m standing here maybe it’s stupid and I’m an idiot for not just grabbing an oversized shirt.

“You look beautiful.” My lips tilt up at his words and a warm glow settles in my stomach. He sets his computer aside and comes to take me by the hand and leads me to the bed. “Want to watch a movie?”

I give him an enthusiastic nod. Watching a movie means I don’t have to worry about what to say or if I’m doing something stupid. It’s the perfect way to end a day that has wound me tight. Only this is unlike watching any movie before. Yeah, Linc turns the lights out but then he pulls me into his arms and spends the rest of the night snuggling with me.

I must fall asleep in his arms because the next thing I remember is coming awake all hot and bothered. I’m already breathless by the time I open my eyes. Unconsciously my hips have been moving against Linc. Instead of being ashamed and upset over what I have done in my sleep, I’m too far gone - too close to cumming.

I give off soft moans and I try haltingly to move against his thickness nestled in between my legs. Frustration has me close to tears because I can’t seem to find what I need. Then hands come down on my hips and start to move me. He guides me back and forth, pressing down at just the right moment.

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