Mr. Hollywood (Celebrity #1) (14 page)

Yes, hindsight was everything. And I knew now I
’
d fucked up my life in the worst
way possible. The problem was, I had no idea how to fix it. I wasn
’
t sure if it would ever be normal
again.

For the millionth time, my thoughts drifted back to
how it felt to be with her, inside her, moving together. I
’
d never feel complete again if I
couldn
’
t find my way back to her.

“One Hour on the
Red Carpet. Still No Sign of Mr. Hollywood.”

~Glitz
Magazine Live From the Movie Buff Awards~

Chapter Ten

Z

“
Earth
to Zane,
”
Aubrey
’
s voice called to me, pulling me
out of my memories.
“
Where
’
d
you go? You just kind of zoned out on me.
”

“
Sorry.
”
I shook my head, as if doing so
would remove the image of her naked body from my mind. There was no hope for
that, though. I
’
d relived the memory too much,
committing every part of her to memory.
“
Just thinking about my favorite times
spent on that farm.
”

She blushed, and I knew she was aware of exactly what
I was talking about.

“
I
miss the farm,
”
I added, continuing on so she
didn
’
t have to respond.
“
Your house was more home to me than
my own. You know that, right?
”

She nodded.
“
I was sorry to hear about your dad.
I would
’
ve come to the funeral, if you
’
d have had one.
”

“
It
was how he wanted it,
”
I replied, thinking of how
cold it had seemed to have him cremated with no type of service. He
’
d been so unhappy in life after my
mother died though, so I did my best to make his death exactly as he wanted,
with no fanfare. His ashes had been mailed to me and were currently sitting in
an urn in the top of my closet. I
’
d never found a place that seemed
appropriate to spread them.

“
After
he
’
d passed away, I had the farm put
up for sale and hired someone to pack up the personal items left after the
place sold. I was shooting on location in Venezuela at the time and couldn
’
t go to Montana for several weeks.
A few meager belongings are all I have left of him.
”

“
At
least he
’
s at peace now.
”

“
Yes,
there is that.
”
I continued to stare at her,
my thoughts drifting elsewhere.
“
I still think about that day. Do
you?
”

To her credit, she didn
’
t
look away, though she swallowed hard.
“
I
’
m
pretty sure a day hasn
’
t gone by that I haven
’
t thought about it.
”
She knew exactly what I meant.

Her reply pleased me to no end, but I had the odd
feeling that she meant something different than I did.
“
I can
’
t
believe someone hasn
’
t snatched you up. Guys are idiots.
”

“
I
’
m not that big of a catch,
”
she said, shrugging.

“
I
beg to differ. Wait and see. After tonight everyone is going to wonder who you
are. People will be crawling out of the woodwork to find out everything about
you. By tomorrow morning your entire life is probably going to be splashed
across some headline.
”

Horror clouded her features, and she paled
dramatically.
“
Are you serious?
”

Leaning closer, I watched her with concern.
“
Are you all right? You look like
you
’
ve seen a ghost.
”
I slipped my hand into hers, squeezing
gently.

“
I
.
 
.
 
. I forgot to tell my parents what
I was doing tonight. In all the excitement of getting ready for everything it
slipped my mind.
”
She seemed truly panicked.

“
It
’
s okay, Aubrey, really. I know you
feel out of your element right now, but I meant what I said earlier. I
’
ll make sure you
’
re safe. If you
’
d like you can call them right now.
”

“
I
didn
’
t think this through,
”
she continued on, still sounding
hysterical.
“
I didn
’
t consider the implications it
would mean to the rest of my family. I can
’
t do this.
”

I wasn
’
t sure what was the matter, but it
was easy to see she was truly terrified.
“
Fine,
”
I
said, desperate to reassure her.
“
Then we
’
ll turn the car around and I
’
ll take you home, if you
’
re that worried. I can
’
t go to the event without you, so I
’
ll tell Penelope or Luke to call
the studio and try to smooth things over with them.
”

“
No!
”
Aubrey interrupted sharply.
“
No,
”
she
added, quieter.
“
I
’
m
sorry. I
’
m just having a slight panic
attack. I agreed to do this. I won
’
t put your job in jeopardy.
”
She took several deep breaths,
slowly releasing them.

“
Tell
me what
’
s upsetting you, specifically.
Maybe I can help.
”
I
’
d never seen her so flustered.

“
Z,
we
’
re almost to the carpet,
”
Penelope
’
s voice crackled over the speaker,
as was our tradition for these events. I wondered if she thought I was back
here banging Aubrey, as I had so many other nameless, faceless girls in the
past. Suddenly I didn
’
t feel too proud about all that.

Ironically, I hadn
’
t
had any drugs, alcohol, or sex today, and yet I still seemed to be having the
best time I ever had in the back of a limo. It made me wonder what the rest of
the night would hold.

“
Showtime,
”
I said, smiling at Aubrey.
“
Are you ready?
”

She shook her head.
“
Not
even a little, but I
’
ll manage. Promise me one thing.
”

“
Anything.
”

“
Before
we go back tonight, I need to speak with you about something .
 
.
 
. something really important. I
just want to have some uninterrupted time with you to talk about .
 
.
 
. our past together.
”

That sounded a little ominous, but the car was already
rolling to a halt and there was no time to press her further.
“
I promise. But for now, it
’
s time to show the world my
gorgeous date.
”

Glancing at the door as it opened, she squeezed my
hand.
“
I
’
ll
try to do my best.
”

“
You
’
ll be perfect.
”

Releasing her, I slid from the vehicle, and the crowd
roared its approval the moment I stepped out. Cameras by the dozens clicked in
a mad frenzy around me as I did my traditional straightening of my tie and
slipped into character. Turning back to the car, I offered my hand to the
vision of loveliness sitting just inside.

A collective gasp went up from the onlookers as Aubrey
stepped from the vehicle, her Dominic Florin gown falling perfect around her
feet. As predicted, everyone shifted to get a closer look and I couldn
’
t help my pleased smile.

“
Who
’
s your date, Z?
”
someone shouted as the cameras
clicked away, blinding me as usual, and several others echoed the question.

As we
’
d decided earlier, I tried to keep
things casual.
“
This is a dear friend of mine, Aubrey.
”
If they wanted to know more about
her, they were going to have to dig for it themselves.

“
Aubrey,
how
’
d you meet Z?
”

“
What
’
s your last name, Aubrey?
”

“
How
does it feel to be out with Hollywood
’
s most eligible bachelor?
”

“
Who
are you wearing?
”

“
Dominic
Florin,
”
Aubrey replied as if on cue,
smiling beautifully as the bodyguards pushed the crowd back, allowing us
through so we could stroll the carpet.

Penelope appeared beside us, guiding us along our way.
“
You
’
ll
be stopping at the Glitz stand to speak with Margo Tamson again. The media has
been prepped and told that they
’
re not allowed to ask you about the
indecent exposure charges since the case is still open and sentencing hasn
’
t happened yet. Everything else is
fair game though.
”

Shit!
I
’
d
forgotten all about my last encounter with Margo and the fact that I
’
d be seeing her here tonight. This
was going to be a bit awkward, I was afraid.

I nodded.
“
Got it.
”
Still holding Aubrey
’
s hand, I waved and smiled at the
crowds as I led Aubrey up on the platform, praying for the best.

“
Z
McCartney, everyone!
”
Margo said with her
microphone and the crowd cheered loudly as I waved. Turning to me she
continued.
“
I have to say, you
’
ve caused a lot of speculation
lately. Everyone has been wondering where you disappeared to.
”
Her eyes had a hard glint to them.
She was angry about Aubrey, though I wasn
’
t sure why. It wasn
’
t like I
’
d promised her marriage. I had
promised her another hook up though. I
’
d completely forgotten.

Laughing, I slipped easily into my alter-persona,
ready to schmooze the masses.
“
Yeah, I heard about all that. I had
no idea my life was such a big deal,
”
I easily lied. I knew my life
was a very big deal to a lot of people.

“
Can
you tell us where you
’
ve been the last several days?
”
Margo tipped the microphone back to
me, and I knew she was trying to get back at me by making me as uncomfortable
as possible.