From Fame to Shame (7 page)
Read From Fame to Shame Online
Authors: Veronica Blade
His gaze fell to my mouth, then he reached both hands up to cup my face and, inch by inch, lowered his mouth to mine.
Chapter Six
Our lips touched, feather-light. He shifted his body and brought his thighs against mine, but he didn’t deepen the kiss. He just skimmed the surface, gently teasing my mouth until my nerve endings hummed. Seconds stretched and my lungs stilled as I ached for more.
Then, slowly, he withdrew, keeping close enough that I still felt his warm breath against my skin.
A thick haze clouded my brain and I worried he might ask me something, anything, that required a response and I’d slip up. I couldn’t catch my breath. Fear that I’d blow it for Jackie paralyzed me.
Oh, my God! Jackie! If she knew I’d just kissed the guy who dumped her, she’d feel hurt and betrayed and what had we
just
talked about? Jackie didn’t need this, on top of everything else.
“I…” I had no idea what to say. I only knew that if someone didn’t say something soon and break the trance, I would let Jackie down worse than I already had. Because, more than anything, I wanted this guy, no matter how
nice
he was.
“Yes?” His gaze locked onto mine.
“You said it was just coffee.”
He blinked.
“Last night, you assured me it was just coffee,” I repeated.
An uncertain expression crossed his face. “I thought that at the time.”
“But it should be. Just coffee, I mean,” I whispered, as if saying it any louder would make the truth more painful and more real. I wanted to be with him, with nothing in our way. That wasn’t going to happen though. “We’ve already been there, right?”
He stared at me, silent, like he couldn’t quite go where I was trying to take him. Maybe he found it incomprehensible that a girl might say no to him.
“That’s what my head keeps telling me,” he said, brows drawn. “But I keep getting this feeling like we’ve just met and it’s all new.”
“You…” You what? You’re right that I’m a liar and a fake?
He frowned and I inwardly cringed. I knew I should tell him right then and save him from the confusion he had to be feeling, but I chickened out. It wasn’t my place to tell Jackie’s secret and I’d made a promise.
“I can read those lines with you later. Stella will be here soon, so I should probably take off.”
No idea if that was true or not, since I’d totally lost track of time and wasn’t wearing my watch. I sidestepped and backed away.
“You’re leaving?”
“Well, yeah. That appearance, remember?” Maybe he had intended to kiss me again. Maybe not. I wasn’t going to stick around to find out.
He looked disappointed and I didn’t want to come off bitchy. Not after he’d fed me, then laid dessert on me against the kitchen counter. So I slid my hand down his arm as I passed him — an intimate gesture while keeping my lips off him.
In the clear and a few feet away, I picked up my pace. “Thanks for the awesome breakfast,” I threw over my shoulder.
“Sure. See you later.”
Yes, he would. Tomorrow night. I shouldn’t be thrilled at the thought of seeing him again, but I couldn’t stifle it.
When I returned to my own life, I’d miss Dallas. There was something about him, something so not Hollywood. Except for his extreme hotness, he was down to earth, not full of himself or anything. What would it be like to have him as a boyfriend?
That would never happen. I was the kind of girl who guys liked, but never liked quite
enough
. They thought I looked good on the outside, but they lost interest once they realized I was a nice girl. And I don’t mean the Dallas kind of nice — super hot and sexy. I mean the real kind of nice that didn’t give it up for just anyone. And, idiot that I am, I fell for the wrong type of guy every time.
Stella would arrive soon, but until then, I wanted to hang out with Dallas — another wrong guy. Instead, I planted myself on Jackie’s couch, flipped on the TV and tried to focus on something besides Jackie’s life and her uber-hot ex.
The doorknob rattled and a moment later, Stella marched in. “TMZ filled their pages with you and Dallas. Could’ve been worse, I suppose. Everything went okay after you guys left the theater? Does he still think you’re Jackie?” she asked as she hung her purse on the back of the chair.
I flipped the TV off and straightened my shoulders. “Yes, of course, he does.”
“You sure?” She came into the living room for a closer look. “I’ve had a bad feeling since I woke up this morning.”
I hated my life. No, I liked
my
life. It was Jackie’s life I didn’t want — except for Dallas. “I’m sure. But if something went wrong, Jackie couldn’t blame you for it. Or me. I’m doing her a favor, because she begged.”
“Geez.” Her eyes narrowed as she dropped her purse on the sofa. “You’re awfully defensive. Did something else happen last night?”
"No." Not
last night
. I avoided her gaze as I went to open the fridge. Not like I was hungry, but it gave me something to do.
Stella shadowed me to the kitchen and leaned against the doorjamb. “Let’s pretty you up and get this appearance over with.”
I grabbed a soda, popped the top and slapped on a smile. “Yes, so I can hurry up and come back to this condo filled with Jackie’s things.” At least at home I had all my belongings — and my parents.
She sighed. “What’s bothering you?”
I squeezed my eyes shut and pinched the bridge of my nose. “I hate lying to everyone, especially Dallas. It’s hard.”
“Because you like him.” It wasn’t a question. “And you know it won’t go anywhere.”
“Exactly,” I said.
“Would it help if I came over tonight with a movie and popcorn? It might take your mind off him and keep you in the condo.” She gave me a sympathetic smile.
“That definitely sounds better than brooding.” I smiled. “Thanks.”
“Good. We should start getting you ready if we’re going to be there on time.”
Stella dressed me in a mini skirt, a blouse that fell off one shoulder and, of course, a pair of heels specially designed to torture me. Lucky for Stella, it was daytime and she wouldn’t be the center of attention, so she got to wear comfortable slacks with shoes that wouldn’t require suicide watch.
* * * *
The wide sidewalk in front of the restaurant left room for pedestrians while still allowing space for media and guests. Stella and I waited on the sidelines and smiled as cameras flashed and clicked. Cars honked as they passed, probably recognizing a few faces.
“You’re doing great,” Stella said, never breaking her smile. “Like I said, you’re a natural.”
“Feels phony,” I said, trying not to blink as lights went off in my peripheral vision.
“You remember what to say if you get cornered with a microphone?”
“Yes, you drilled it into me when you were getting me ready. I’m happy to be here. Proud to support my good friend, Steve. Everyone should try the food. It’s phenomenal.”
“Great. Yeah.” Stella’s eyes narrowed. “But say it with some enthusiasm.”
We took our places closer to the ribbon as Steve positioned the scissors to cut it. A series of flashes and clicks and the ribbon collapsed. Moments later, the crowd dispersed. Some guests went inside to sample the food — it was a restaurant, after all. I decided that was a good idea since I hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast with Dallas.
Inside, it looked like a normal restaurant with tables strategically placed to maximize the number of seats while still allowing for safe passage through the large room.
What would’ve been used as the waiting area contained two tables, beautifully decorated with herbs, lilies and little blue flower clusters. And lots of finger foods.
Stella stuck close to me, which discouraged anyone from interviewing me. “Check out all these cheeses and dips,” she said.
“I just tried the basil and roasted bell pepper. It’s divine on that bread.” I flicked a thumb to my left.
Stella stepped away from me toward the dip or sauce or whatever they called it. Red hair appeared at my right. I instinctively shrunk back, but Lisa, the reporter from
Exposed
, closed in before Stella could return to her spot.
“Eating for two?” She smirked.
After the trash she wrote about me — or Jackie — I was in no mood to listen to her crap. The urge to leave right then rose up and I started to set my plate down to do just that. Wait, why was I giving Lisa any power over me?
“It doesn’t matter what I say. You’re going to make up your own story anyway,” I fired back.
Her gaze faltered. Was that guilt I saw in her eyes? A moment later, she bounced back with a smirk. Guess not.
“Nice try,” she said. “Picture this headline: Jackie Refuses to Deny Baby Rumors.”
Stella squeezed between us and growled, “She’s not pregnant, Lisa. Go find a
real
story.”
Lisa’s tone became syrupy sweet. “I guess the extra food is assuaging your grief over not landing that role, huh?”
Nudging Stella out of the way, I took a step toward Lisa as I looked her up and down. Stella cleared her throat and I stomped on the words at the tip of my tongue. Instead, I settled for, “No comment.”
“Friends Worry Over Jackie’s Erratic Behavior,” Lisa said as though it were another dramatic news headline. She smirked.
A cold fury filled me. I couldn’t believe how Jackie put up with this badgering. No wonder she’d been ready to crack. More of Lisa’s lies were the last thing Jackie needed right now.
How did Lisa get away with being such a liar? Weren't journalists supposed to report the truth? People who attacked other people, just for fun, deserved what they got. I opened my mouth, ready to let Lisa have it, but Stella thrust an arm in front of me.
“Okay, you two,” Stella said. “Lisa, why don’t you go harass someone else? Far away.”
She gave Stella a tight smile. “No.”
“Good afternoon, ladies.”
My head whipped around to see Luke Holtz, star of
Otherworld
. He wore a sexy grin and a white button shirt that fell over faded blue jeans. Just as gorgeous as he always looked on the show. “Lisa, nice to see you again,” he said.
Her smile softened and her eyes gleamed. “Luke, what a surprise,” she purred.
“I need to chat with Jackie for a minute. Why don’t I come find you in a bit and we can catch up?”
“I’ll be waiting.” Lisa gave him a sultry smile. Her gaze rested on me a moment and her smile froze. Her eyes flicked over to her left, behind Luke and Stella. A man aimed a video camera our way, the little red light announcing it was doing its job. No doubt, the camera man got every minute of our heated conversation. After one last sneer, Lisa wandered off.
I blinked. “Uh… thanks for the distraction,” I told Luke. Behind him, the cameraman followed Lisa.
“I’ve seen Lisa go after stories pretty hard, but I’ve never seen her be so bitchy. Probably because she knows she’ll never be as beautiful as you,” he said, his eyes gazing into mine. “No matter how skilled her plastic surgeon is.”
Stella cleared her throat. “I wasn’t told you’d be here, Luke. Trying to steal Jackie’s thunder?” she said in a teasing voice.
“I make my own thunder. Which is anywhere my publicist sends me,” Luke answered, his unwavering gaze resting on me.
Uh-oh. I knew that flirty look. Mr. I’m-hot-and-you-think-so-too was going in for the kill. But I wasn’t playing. Even if I did have an itch to date one of my favorite stars, I’d choose Dallas and his dreamy gray eyes over Luke’s too-suave green ones any day.
Both guys were blazing hot and both could eventually get any girl right where he wanted her. Luke would do it by flirting, and unspoken promises with his smoldering eyes, and sexy smile. Dallas would earn it the old fashion way by draping his jacket over a girl’s shoulders when she’s cold, or taking too-high shoes off her aching feet, or feeding her when she’s starving.
As tempting as it was to ride Mr. I’m-so-hot’s thunder, I’d always been an old fashioned girl. But all of that was a moot point, since both guys thought I was Jackie. I refused to flirt with a guy who didn’t even know my real name.
“Well, thanks for getting rid of Lisa,” I said, breaking eye contact with him for just a moment to finger a piece of cheese.
“No worries.” He shrugged, then sent a meaningful glance to Stella. Hinting for her to leave us alone?
Stella wasn’t playing either. “Jackie, we really should get going.”
He swiveled until he had his back to Stella. “You said you were a big fan of the show. Thought you might like a guest spot. I can talk to the producers. If nothing else, you should visit the set.”
Oh, that did sound exciting. But Luke’s eyes hinted at strings attached. He seemed more like Jackie’s type anyway. Which was exactly why I didn’t want to blow him off. If I didn’t burn that bridge, when my sister returned, she could date him if she wanted.
“Sounds great.” I flashed him the same smile I’d given to the photographers moments ago. “I’ll check my calendar and get back to you.”
He leaned in and his lips brushed my cheek. “I’ll see you soon,” he whispered.
I shivered.
“Oh, look. Your other date just arrived.” Stella’s tone held a world of disappointment. I didn’t need to ask who she meant.
I scanned the restaurant. “Where?”