Reluctantly Famous (9 page)

So now he’s insinuating I haven’t worked
hard.

“
I didn’t say there was,
Dad.” I grit my teeth together, my words hissing out between
them.

Why am I bothering with this? They’re so old
school. They’re never going to see things my way. I would have just
gone to New York and lied about my job if I didn’t think someone
they knew would see the ads and tell them about it.

“
Declan, I never thought
I’d see the day I was disappointed in ya, lad. But thar’s a time
for everythin’ I guess.”

My heart feels as if someone is squeezing it
in my chest. Disappointed. I’m a disappointment. As if my dad
wasn’t always disappointed in something I did. He never said it,
but I got the message loud and clear. If I got an A, why wasn’t it
an A+? If I hit a triple in little league, he’d mutter that it
should have been a home run. I chose to go to UPenn and I should
have gone to Harvard. Nothing was or is ever going to be good
enough for him.

It pisses me off that every decision I made
in life was to make my dad proud, to hear him say it. Not once, not
one single fucking time has he ever done it. Why I still care is
beyond me. I’m sick and fucking tired of caring.

I stand up, my chair scraping loudly when I
shove it back. “That’s bullshit. All I’ve ever done is work hard to
prove myself to you. Straight A’s in school, a full scholarship to
UPenn, bust my ass to get my degree in three years instead of four…
all while working almost forty hours a week.”

The anger builds inside, bubbling up from my
gut and churning until it has to explode out of me. Twenty-one
years of anger, about to spew out at once.

“
Now, I finally have a
chance to make money, a lot of money, and you disapprove of it?
Fuck that and fuck you!”

The last thing I see is my parents’ shocked
expressions before I turn on my heel and storm out the door.

Allie – now

“
Okay Patty, I’ll talk to
you later and we’ll finalize the details for the silent
auction.”

“
Bye.”

I hang up the phone, exhausted. Every year I
tell myself I’m going to let the Grady’s handle the Fourth of July
fundraiser without me, and every year I end up taking on way too
much anyway. It’s my own fault, I love parties, I love Inpatient to
Learn, and I love everyone who’s involved in the charity. It’s only
natural for me to want to pitch in and help. Unfortunately, I never
say no, which leads to massive amounts of stressing out.

No sooner do I hang up my phone than it
rings again. I’m about to let it go to voicemail, but decide to
look at the display in case it’s Dex. He’s flying in from L.A.
tonight, and I don’t want to miss his call.

The number isn’t one I recognize. It’s not
Dex.

“
Hello?”

“
Allie. How are
you?”

“
Beth? I’m good. How did
you get my number? Not that I’m mad or anything, but I’ve changed
it at least three times since leaving school.” Each time because
someone found out about Drew and kept calling me to get to
him.

“
I have my ways,” she says
deviously.

I laugh at my old roommate. “Yeah, you’re
about as devious as a kitten, Beth.”

“
Honestly, Allie? I
stopped by your parents’ house and they gave it to me.”

“
You’re in town?” I
haven’t seen Beth since my sophomore year of college. After I left
B.C., we only spoke sporadically. Then I graduated and she
graduated, my phone number changed and she moved out of state, and
well… that’s pretty much it.

“
I am. I’m here for an
event.”

“
An event? What kind of
event?” I’m puzzled. My old roommate, who I haven’t spoken to in
almost six years, is in town for an event and calling
me.

“
Some charity thing,
something about teachers and hospitals or something. You know me, I
never was good at remembering stuff.”

“
You sneaky little bitch,”
I say, laughing. “What are you doing right now?”

“
Sitting in my hotel room,
staring at what could be the most hideous piece of art I’ve ever
seen in my life.”

She always knows what to say to make things
less awkward. “Lunch?”

“
Of course. We have a ton
to catch up on, and from what I understand, you won’t have a lot of
free time at the ball.”

“
No, probably not. Where
are you staying?”

“
The Copley Square
Hotel.”

“
Ooohhh, we can go to the
Met Back Bay!”

“
I love that place. One
hour?” Beth asks.

“
One hour.”

I’m so excited to see Beth again. I rush
around the high-rise condo that Drew insisted on buying for me a
few years back. He said he wouldn’t let me live anywhere without
full time security and locked doors. As annoying and bossy as it
was, I relented because I felt bad about not letting him help me
after I left B.C. He never forgot how messed up I was, and I’m sure
the guilt at not being able to do anything about it just about
killed him.

I decide to walk to the restaurant since my
condo is only a few blocks away. Big mistake. It’s July in Boston,
which means it’s hot and humid. By the time I’m seated across from
Beth, I’m sweaty and sticky and more than ready for a cold
drink.

“
You look so good!” I
squeal, taking in my old roommate after a long hug.

“
You look tired, girl,”
Beth replies, her grin wide enough to be seen on the other side of
the Charles.

“
Yeah, I always take on
too much for the fundraiser.” The waiter comes by and takes our
drink order. I decide on sangria since I need something to help
cool me off after walking in the blistering heat.

“
Not tired like that,”
Beth says. “I saw the recent articles. It brought back a lot of
memories and not good ones.” Her mouth twists into a frown, her
chocolate brown eyes harsh and angry.

It touches me how much she still cares about
what happened back then, about what’s happening now.

“
It was good while it
lasted, Beth.”

“
What was?”

I let out a sarcastic chuckle. “Having a
life.”

She reaches across the table and takes my
hand. “You can still have a life, Al. Just not the kind that
everyone else has. No one died, you’re healthy, you’re smart, and
you have a loving family. You’ll just have to… I don’t know,
adapt.”

“
Adapt.” I test the word.
Let it roll around in my head for a moment. “I think I like that
description.”

“
Remember freshman bio?
Darwinism, only the strong can adapt to survive. That’s you.
Strong.” Beth removes her hand when our drinks arrive. She holds up
her extra-dirty martini. “A toast…”

Smiling, I hold my sangria up with hers, not
correcting her when she calls me strong. I feel far from it most
days, sometimes, I feel downright weak.

“…
to
evolution.”

“
Ha! To evolution,” I
reply.

We clink our glasses together and I realize
just how much my life really has evolved. Maybe this is just
another adaptation I have to make, another turn in the road to
survival. Is leaving my job the end of my life?

My answer? Fuck no.

Declan – now

The cab drops me off in front of a sleek
glass high rise in downtown Boston.

“
Thanks.” I hand the
cabbie some cash after he retrieves my suitcase and puts it down on
the sidewalk next to me.

“
Declan Foster?” I turn to
see a couple of teenage girls timidly eyeing me from a few feet
away.

They seem friendly, so I answer them
honestly. Besides, who am I kidding? I’m not wearing a hat,
sunglasses, nothing to hide my identity. “Yes, I am.”

Their hesitation melts into smiles when they
realize that I’m not going to snap out at them.

“
Can we get a picture with
you?” one of the girls asks.

“
Sure.”

She happily pulls out her phone and they
crowd around me for a selfie. “Thanks so much!”

“
You’re
welcome.”

And that’s it. I thank God for about the
millionth time for not saddling me with the same type of fans that
Ryker has. There’s no way I could deal with that kind of crazy on a
daily basis.

Allie’s concierge buzzes me into the
building and lets me take the elevator upstairs after checking my
I.D. and making sure I’m on ‘the list’. After stepping off onto the
twelfth floor, I don’t get halfway down the hall before a door
opens, ejecting a very excited Allie Forrester.

“
Dex!”

I know I must be grinning like a fool, but I
don’t care. She makes me feel good, something I haven’t felt in a
while. Without warning, Allie takes a flying leap at me, landing
with her body wrapped around mine. She’s damn lucky I dropped my
bags fast enough to catch her.

“
That’s some kind of
greeting, Al.”

She giggles into my neck before pulling back
so we can see each other. The air around us crackles and I feel a
distinct shift happening between us. The memory of that blistering
hot kiss we shared in the cab in London hits me full force.

Allie’s intense green eyes lock onto mine
then flick down to my mouth. In that moment, I’ve never wanted
anyone as much as I want her. She slides down my front, making me
hold in a groan as she rubs against my cock. It’s torture, holding
back when all I want to do is tear off her clothes and taste every
inch of her body.

Allie is lost in her thoughts. Lustful ones
if the look on her face means anything, so I take charge. “Let’s go
inside.” She nods as I bend down to grab my bag.

I’m sure Allie’s condo is spectacular, but I
wouldn’t know it. All I see from the minute I step inside is her.
The way the afternoon sun slants through the wall of windows,
causing her dark hair to glow with rust-colored highlights, the way
her jeans hug every single curve of her tight ass and long legs,
the way her lips curve when she smiles up at me or says something
amusing. She’s fucking incredible.

“
Dex?”

“
Huh?”

Allie laughs. “Did you hear a word I just
said?”

No I didn’t. Damn.

“
I asked if you wanted a
drink.”

Minutes later, we’re sitting on her couch
with a glass of wine. She’s discussing something while I continue
to daydream about how perfect she is.

Abruptly, she stops talking. “You look
guilty Declan Foster. What were you thinking about?”

“
You,” I answer too
quickly. It’s not my fault. Her legs are tucked up beneath her, and
with every hand gesture or giggle she makes, a part of her body
brushes up against me. My thigh, my chest, my arm… she’s killing
me. Death by a thousand sensual touches.

It gives me complete brain to mouth
malfunction.

Allie’s eyes widen and damn if they don’t
drop down to my mouth again. Her pupils dilate, whether it’s from
the alcohol or from this unbelievable spark that exists between us,
I’m not sure, but damn I want to find out.

I take her glass in my free hand and put
both of them on the end table. When I turn back to talk to her,
she’s shifted closer, our mouths separated by mere inches.

“
Al,” I say
hoarsely.

“
Yes?” Her lids are heavy
with lust. She flicks out her tongue and moistens her lush lips. My
dick is so hard I swear it fucking hurts.

“
I…” Jesus, how do you
tell someone that you don’t fuck around anymore? That you don’t do
the casual sex thing? Especially when you want them as much as I
want her.

“
What is it
Dex?”

“
Nothing.” Fuck it. I
close the gap, lightly dragging my mouth over hers. Allie melts
into my arms, the tight, strumming tension between us turns into
red-hot embers that need only a slight nudge to become a roaring
fire.

Allie moans as she climbs up on my lap, and
that’s the match that sends me up in flames. I crush my mouth
against hers, eager to taste her after months of wondering if I’d
ever get another chance. She’s just as fucking sweet as I remember,
maybe even more so this time.

“
God, Dex. I don’t… I’ve
never let myself…”

Her whispered words make me pull back so I
can see into her eyes.

“
What?”

She tucks her chin into her chest, hiding
from me.

“
No,” I pull her chin up
gently. “I want to see you.” Her brilliant green eyes find mine.
“Explain what you mean.”

“
I-I… I can trust you,
right Dex?”

Allie’s question takes me by surprise. “Of
course you can, Al.”

“
I mean, I know I can.
After London, when we spent all that time together, you didn’t take
advantage of me, not once.” She’s acting withdrawn, nervous, very
un-Allie like things to do.

“
Why are you asking me
this?”

“
Just making sure.” She
lowers her mouth and gently, almost hesitantly kisses
me.

The fire in my core reignites, urging me to
take what is right in front of me, to pull off the fabric that
separates us and sink into her hot depths. I swallow back the need
to go fast, instead savoring every brush of our mouths, every soft
touch of Allie’s hands on my chest, every tiny moan that escapes
from her.