Relatively Famous (15 page)

“Sydney, he gave us publicity that we could never buy. He’s young, attractive, and an A-list celebrity. All he’s asking for is that you go to the opening of a club that
you’re
redesigning, and hang out with him. We can’t refuse such a simple request. Just from him hinting that he wants to come to the party in that interview has caused an explosion of requests for invites from Hollywood’s hottest and most popular young stars.

“
This launch is going to rival some of the openings of the biggest clubs in Las Vegas, and let me tell you, parties like that don’t happen here in New York. This is going to be epic, and we have Adam Reynolds to thank for that.”

I hang my pounding head and rub my neck. I can’t think. I can’t come to terms with a middle-aged suit like Jeff Talley using the word ‘epic’. I feel dizzy and nauseous. This cannot be happening.

“Jeff, I just can’t do that. I have a boyfriend, how would he feel if I went on a date with another man?”

Is Drew even my boyfriend?

“Bring him! It’s all appearances, Sydney. You don’t actually have to date Adam. Why you don’t want to I can’t figure out. According to my wife he’s ‘the hottest thing she’s ever laid eyes on’.” He makes quote signs with his fingers to emphasize his wife’s words. “You just have to hang out with him.”

I’m not getting through to this guy. Be professional, Sydney. Don’t wreck the firm’s reputation by bitch slapping this arrogant ass
. I cross my arms over my chest. “I won’t walk the red carpet, Jeff. And I won’t allow any photos of me to be published.”

He looks downright dumbfounded. “Wait, you don’t want to go to a club opening with superstar Adam Reynolds, you don’t want your picture taken with him, you don’t want to be interviewed with him for TV….are you actually a livi
ng breathing female?” He laughs. “You’re probably the only woman in New York that would turn that down.” He rubs his fingers across his neatly bearded chin. “Okay Sydney, I accept your conditions. The hotel’s PR team controls all photos taken inside the club, you don’t have to walk the carpet and we won’t release any pictures of you or put them on the website. Just show up, make Adam Reynolds happy and I’ll be happy and my boss will be happy. You can even bring your boyfriend, deal?” He stretches his arm out across the table.

Defeated, I li
ft my hand and shake his firmly. “Deal.”

With all of the Hollywood party crap behind us, we head up to see the club. I’m pleasantly surprised to see that the entire space has been ripped down to the studs, electricians are setting the wiring for the new light fixtures, and a group of men is drilling holes in the subfloor to support the new bar. More comfortable with this aspect of the job than the part that just took place in the conference room, I meet up with the on-site project manager from Allen Deconstruction and we start to take inventory of the shipments.

What the hell am I going to tell Drew?

Chapter
20

I call Drew from the back seat of the Warren Hotel’s private car service as the driver maneuvers
down Lexington. It’ll be a good hour until I get home at this rate. I really need to relax in my jetted tub.

“Hey babe.
” Drew answers with his sexy voice. My mood lifts a little just hearing him speak to me.

“Hey
.”

“Are you headed home?”

“Yeah, stuck on Lexington. Traffic is pretty bad.”

“Sydney, you sound weird, are you ok?”

Protective Drew is coming out to play. “Ummm, I had a shitty day at work, that’s all.”

Oh, and I have to go on a date with Adam Reynolds, who may or may not want in my pants, you don’t mind right?

“I don’t like this. I need to see you. Can I come over?” He sounds worried.

I have to tell him at some point about the party. Do I tell him now, or do I chicken out and tell him over the phone once he’s three-thousand m
iles away? My need for him wins. “Yes please. I’d like to see you.”

“I’m at home packing for California, so just have your driver swing by and get me and I’ll ride over with you.”

Bossy Drew taking control. I don’t mind, I’m more than happy to have him carry some of my load right now. “Okay, I’ll see you in thirty to forty-five minutes depending on traffic.” I give the driver Drew’s address and attempt to relax against the plush leather of the Mercedes.

I text Drew as we pull down his street and he jumps into the car the
second it stops in front of his brownstone. I notice he has a small duffel with him and he’s wearing his new ‘Good Luck’ hat. “Wishful thinking, Mr. Forrester?” I nod my head towards his bag and his hat.

“A man can hope, Sydney.” He smiles and kisses me. “We can talk later, just relax babe.” I inhale his intoxicating scent and burrow under his arm for the short ride to my place.

Drew drops his bag by the door and hugs me close. “Are you hungry? I can order something.”

“Actually, I
just want to soak in the tub. Care to join me?”

He ducks his head and I ca
n feel him smile against my ear. “A guy would have to be crazy to turn down an invitation like that.”

Well, you may not like me as much after I tell you about the meeting I had today.

I start the water for my giant jetted tub; it’s one of my favorite possessions even though I don’t use it very often. It’s huge and oval shaped, with light bamboo woodwork elegantly wrapped around the base. Opening a drawer by the sink, I grab an elastic and knot my hair up into a messy bun on my head.

Drew comes into the bathroom with two bottles of beer and sets them on the far side of the tub. “Let me undress you.” He takes my suit jacket and removes it from my shoulders and sets it on the
countertop. Untucking my ivory silk camisole, he pulls it over my head and tosses it with the jacket.

“Turn around
.” I comply and he lowers the zipper on my skirt, letting it drop to the floor. I kick it aside and he guides me to sit on the edge of the tub. Drew puts his hands on my left thigh and glides them down to my foot. Kneeling, he unbuckles my heel and removes it while staring into my eyes. Letting the shoe clatter to the tile floor, he reaches up and repeats his movements with my other leg. Still kneeling between my legs he takes off his hat, wraps his arms around my waist and plants soft hot kisses on my belly. I feel my sex tighten from the contact with his wet mouth.

Drew stands up and starts shedding his clothes. In one swift motion he grabs the back collar of his T-shirt and pulls it over his head, dropping it behind him. He kicks off his Chucks and removes his jeans, boxer briefs and socks all at once. He’s so beautiful that I can’t breathe. I take in his gorgeous face, his seductive mouth, his flawlessly toned physique. I lower my gaze over his perfect six pack and stare at the ‘v’
that his obliques make at his waist, then continue down to his waiting erection and shiver in anticipation.

“Stand up, Sydney
.” I do as he says and he steps forward, reaching around to unclasp my bra, his cock pressing against my stomach. He slides it down my arms and lets it fall. Hooking his fingers into my panties, he quickly disposes of those as well. Drew holds out a hand, I take it and sink into the hot water. He carefully slides in behind me and hands me one of the cold bottles.

“Mmmmm, the water feels so good.” I take a sip of my beer and lean against Drew, letting
the jets ease my tense muscles.

“You feel so good
.” He rubs my shoulders and I groan and drop my head back against his chest. “Talk now or later?”

“Later,” I sigh. He takes my beer and puts it back on the edge of the tub. Squirting a large amount of body wash into his hands he starts washing me. His large fingers glide over my arms and up to my collarbone, reaching down to knead my breasts. I
luxuriate in the sensation and push back against his the thick hardness that rests against my back. His hands freeze for a second on my breasts, then continues to massage me. Drew deftly rolls my nipples in his fingers, quickly bringing them to hard peaks.

He gets more soap and washes my down my back, snaking his arms around me when he reaches my waist, dropping one hand between my legs to draw circles on the small bundle of nerves. Gasping, I gyrate against him, unable to control myself as the s
corching heat builds inside me.

I need to feel close to him before I can tell him about the party; in case this is the last time he wants to see me. I lift slightly and push back; reaching underwater between my legs I grasp him tightly and direct
the tip of his cock into my slick opening, sliding down as far as I can.

“Ahhhh, Sydney.” I start moving up and down, sitting on his lap with my back to his front, consumed with sensation. “Fuck, I can’t
believe how good you feel.” He starts biting my neck and shoulder roughly, completely out of control. Both of us are, our needs primal and animalistic in this heated moment.

“Drew, oh God,”
I slam down harder on his cock and frantically raise and lower my hips, my restraint as unchecked as his. He wraps his big hands around my waist and jerks me down forcefully as he slams into me faster, over and over, bringing us both to the precipice.

I grip the sides of the tub, my knuckles turning white from the pressure. Drew continues meeting each of my
downward movements with an upward thrust of his hips. The noises we both make are unrestrained, hedonistic.

We come togethe
r, water sloshing all around us as we both fall over the edge. Drew grunts loudly behind me as my sex grips him forcefully, convulsing around his cock as he releases.

I lie
back against his heaving chest, breathing rapidly as a heavenly tingling sensation fires through every nerve ending in my body. Shifting slightly, I see his head thrown back against the edge of the tub, his eyes closed as he recovers.

I turn my body around fully, straddling him so I can look at his beautiful face. He lifts his head and brings his hands to my cheeks, pressing soft kisses to my lips. I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him back tenderly, never wanting this moment to end.

But it does end, and as usual, it ends spectacularly. The alarmed look on Drew’s face says it all. “Sydney, I didn’t wear a condom.”

Fuck.

Pacing in front of my fireplace like a caged animal, Drew is freaking out. “I can’t believe I was so careless! I’ve never done that, never!” He’s shouting as he walks back and forth, stressing me out more with every step.

“Drew, calm down.” I’m sitting on the couch, watching the confident
, controlled man I know unravel in front of me.

His head snaps up.
“Calm? Sydney, I’m pissed at myself. I can’t believe I did that to you. I’m so sorry. I just don’t even know what to say.”

Whoa
. He’s mad because he thinks he wronged me somehow not because he might have knocked me up?

“Wait, I was just as caught up in the moment as you were, Drew. It’s not your fault. You didn’t do anything to me that I didn’t want you to do.”

He drops to the floor in front of me and puts his head in my lap. “I’m so sorry, Sydney. It’s the first time I’ve ever forgotten to use protection.”
Shit, he really is blaming himself
. “I’m supposed to take care of you and look out for you, not put you into more stressful situations for my own selfish pleasure.”

“I’m sure it’s fine. Look at me.” I run my fingers through his damp hair. He lifts his head and I capture his gaze with mine. “It’s okay, Drew. I run so much I don’t even get regular periods, so I’m sure nothing will happen. You don’t owe me an apology; I won’t allow you to feel like this. It was consensual, and we’re both adults, we’ll deal with whatever happens.”

Dear God don’t let me get knocked up.

He relents, but I see that it’s not by choice.
“Alright, but I don’t like this at all Syd. But I trust you. If you say you’re not upset, then I’ll let it go, for now. Just understand that I won’t let anything or anyone hurt you, not even me.”

So he’s upset because he thinks I’m upset? God he’s such a caveman sometimes. But a hot, sexy,
bossy, well-meaning caveman.

“Let’s order some food.
” I kiss him on the lips to end the conversation.

We eat in relative silence, containers of Thai food scattering the kitchen counter. Drew tells me how he wasn’t sure what to pack for California, since it would be unlikely that he’d get out much.

He lets me know that he passed along my sincere thanks to Chad, his friend who owns the St. Bart’s villa and the sailboat, Magic Hour. Apparently Chad was more than happy to have someone using both, since he hardly ever gets to go there himself. Drew describes Chad, and how he’s known him for more than ten years.

When he tells me how long he’s known his friend,
I realize I don’t know something. “Drew, how old are you?” I’m embarrassed that I never asked him.

He smiles, probably ecstatic that I’m aski
ng him such a personal question. “Twenty-nine. I’ll be thirty on March 8
th
.”

My gut
twists when he says his birthday. That’s the same day as the launch party for Verve. Of course, Drew being Drew, observant as usual, sees my face fall. “What, am I too old for you or something?” He looks nervous, like I’m going to dump him because of his age.

“No, that’s not it,
” I reassure him, “It just reminded me that I have something to ask you, related to my work.” I wipe my mouth with a napkin and stand up from the table. “Are you done? Let’s go into the living room.” Without a word, Drew stands up, puts his dish in the sink, and follows me down the hall.

We curl up on one of the couches and I decide how to begin. “Okay, you know that I’m redesigning the new nightclub at the Warren. Well, when one of these clubs launches, they have a huge party. They invite people who will bring the most exposure to their business, like…you know…celebrities and what not.” I feel Drew stiffen next to me
.

Shit, this isn’t going well
.

He sits up a little straighter and waits for me. I clear my throat.
This is really hard, crap.
I continue, “Ummm, the bigwigs that run the Warren Hotel chain saw the interview in GQ.”

Drew’s head
whips around and he stares at me, eyes narrowed. “The interview with Adam Reynolds?” he snarls.

My eyes widen at his hostility.
“Yes, that interview. He mentioned Verve and that he knew about it through me, and called the Warren to get an invite.”

“Okay. Is that why you were so unhappy when you left work? You already knew about the article.” I cannot read his expression
. His face is totally neutral. It reminds me of the mask that my mom the actress would wear to hide her real feelings.

“Well, ummm…”
I feel the hot burn of embarrassment. I’m ashamed to have to ask the guy I’m seeing to be okay with me going on a fake date with a hot celebrity, and I’m more than humiliated to have to admit that the hot celebrity wants to go on a date with me more than I want to go with him.

“So, the mention in the article set off a firestorm of A-listers calling to get on the invite list. Management at the Warren feel it’s only right to repay Adam by granting his request to be at the party…and…ummm, his request to be my date.” I cringe, waiting for his reaction.

He sits there for a moment, processing what I’ve just said. “And you said yes?” I see his fists clench in his lap. This is not good.

And there’s the problem, right there. I said yes
.

I didn’t really, but somehow that’s how it ended up and that’s what’s going to matter to Drew. “No. Not at first.”

“Not at first,” he repeats, still showing no emotion whatsoever except for those tight fists.

“Drew, I said no! I told them I was seeing someone, and I wasn’t going on a date with anyone but you.”

His careful composure breaks and his eyes grow large and I swear, they almost bulge right out of his head. “You mentioned
me
?”